A Few Words About Boxer Engines

MotoChronicles

Rev up your engines and dive into the fascinating world of opposed engines! From BMW's iconic motorcycles to Soviet innovations and even Japanese scooters, this video takes you on a thrilling ride through the history and evolution of boxer engines. Learn about the unique designs, the pros and cons, and discover some of the most unusual motorcycles that have hit the road. Don’t miss out on this epic journey! Subscribe for more amazing content and let us know your favorite part in the comments! #Motorcycles #Engines #History #Innovation #KrasMoto  👉 This channel was created in collaboration with @krasmoto  00:00:00 - Introduction to Boxer Engines 00:02:04 - Understanding Boxer Engines 00:04:39 - History and Early Developments 00:07:50 - Motorcycle Innovations and Variations 00:17:53 - World War Influence and German Advancements 00:40:55 - Post-War Evolutions and Small-Scale Models 00:48:20 - Soviet Union and Eastern Innovations 01:08:56 - Japanese Innovations and Modern Implications

Transcript

00:00:00Hello dear viewers, you are on the Krasmoto channel.

00:00:04What do we imagine when we hear the term opposed engine?

00:00:07The first thoughts are BMW motorcycles, Honda Goldwing, domestic dnippers and Urals.

00:00:13By the way, the first motorcycle I ever rode and learned to operate was my grandfather's INZ.

00:00:19What else is there? Subaru cars, Volkswagen Beetle, the T64 tank and small aviation.

00:00:24However, the history of these engines is far more interesting and extensive.

00:00:28In this episode, I invite you to hear a few words about boxer engines.

00:00:32We'll figure out what a boxer engine is, when and by whom it was first built.

00:00:36What are the pros and cons of such an engine?

00:00:39We'll also take a look at the most interesting and unusual motorcycles with this type of engine layout.

00:00:44Yes, we'll mainly focus on motorcycles, but to understand the topic as a whole,

00:00:49there will also be some context from engine building, the automotive industry, shipbuilding, aviation and other fields.

00:00:56So I won't drag it out.

00:00:58Make yourself comfortable and enjoy watching.

00:01:02Not all.

00:01:30This is what we will find.

00:02:03Before discussing the terms, let's clarify one thing.

00:02:06There are some people who recognize only engines with two pistons in a cylinder as opposites,

00:02:12but it all depends on the sources of classification.

00:02:16An opposed engine is a piston internal combustion engine in which the angle between the rows of cylinders is 180

00:02:22degrees.

00:02:23However, that's not all.

00:02:25In the animation, there are two engines with a 180 degree cylinder bank angle.

00:02:30So what's the difference?

00:02:32The guy on top is an opposed engine and its pistons move in a mirrored fashion relative to each other.

00:02:38Accordingly, they reach top dead center at the same time.

00:02:42And the lower engine is a V-type.

00:02:44In this setup, when one piston is at top dead center, the one opposite it is at bottom dead center.

00:02:50The name of this engine in English is horizontally opposed engine, and it's also called a boxer engine.

00:02:57As for the term, it is used for both opposed engines and V-type engines with a cylinder bank angle

00:03:03of 180 degrees.

00:03:05And this is probably due to confusion, since even some serious foreign sources firmly state,

00:03:10here is a horizontally opposed engine, and here is a flat engine.

00:03:15The opposed engine, or boxer if you prefer that name, is the one we are most familiar with and used

00:03:20to.

00:03:21Yes, opposed engines are the most common type of engine with this configuration.

00:03:25This engine configuration is used in the BMW Goose, Subaru Impreza, and the old Douglas motorcycle.

00:03:32However, there are a few more interesting variants of the opposed engine.

00:03:35The first one in English sounds like opposite piston, opposite cylinder.

00:03:40In our language, it's called an engine with opposed piston movement.

00:03:44An engine with opposed pistons is a piston engine, pardon the pun,

00:03:48in which each cylinder has a piston at both ends and does not have a cylinder head.

00:03:53We'll talk about it in more detail in the next chapter.

00:03:57The second is a free piston internal combustion engine, or a free piston engine.

00:04:02It's hard to classify such an engine as an opposed type,

00:04:05although there are designs that resemble the concepts of UP and UC.

00:04:09The purpose of such an engine is to generate energy.

00:04:12In a free piston engine, this power is not transmitted to a crankshaft,

00:04:16but instead is extracted either by the pressure of exhaust gases driving a turbine,

00:04:21or by driving a linear load.

00:04:23For example, a linear alternating current generator that is integrated directly into the engine.

00:04:29So, in general, it seems we've figured out what an opposed engine is.

00:04:32Is there anything to add or correct?

00:04:34Please let me know in the comments.

00:04:39The opposed engine appeared during the evolution of internal combustion engines

00:04:43as an absolutely logical development.

00:04:46One of the first, if not the very first, opposed engines

00:04:49was designed by our compatriot, Ognislav Stepanovich Kostovic,

00:04:54who, in the early 1880s, first built a demonstration model

00:04:58and later a full-fledged engine for the airship, Rossiya.

00:05:02However, the airship was never built.

00:05:04The fuel was mixed with air in something resembling carburetors,

00:05:08one for each pair of cylinders.

00:05:10The displacement of the unit is not specified,

00:05:13but its power is known, 80 horsepower, at 400 revolutions per minute.

00:05:17I should note that Kostovic's engine cannot be classified as a UPU-SC type

00:05:23since there is still only one piston per cylinder.

00:05:26One of the first opposed engines with two pistons in a cylinder

00:05:30was Atkinson's differential engine of 1882,

00:05:33which had a power stroke with every revolution of the crankshaft,

00:05:37compared to every second revolution in a modern engine with the autocycle.

00:05:41But it did not achieve commercial success.

00:05:43In 1898, a two-stroke O'Helkos engine with opposed pistons

00:05:48and a power output of 600 horsepower

00:05:51was installed at the metallurgical plant in Horde.

00:05:55This engine design was also produced under license by manufacturers

00:05:59such as Deutsche Kraftgassgesellschaft in Germany

00:06:02and William Beardmore and Sons in Great Britain.

00:06:05In 1900, such an engine was built by the French company Goberon-Brillier

00:06:11and in July 1904, a Goberon-Brillier automobile

00:06:15equipped with an engine with opposed pistons

00:06:18became the first car ever to exceed a speed of 100 miles per hour.

00:06:22The record was 106.665 kilometers per hour

00:06:27and it was set on a beach in Belgium by the racer Louis Regali.

00:06:30The engine used a single crankshaft at one end of the cylinders

00:06:35and a crosshead for the opposite piston.

00:06:38A similar engine was also installed in the Scottish car

00:06:41Arold Johnston in the early 1900s.

00:06:44The engine was described in detail

00:06:46and illustrated in the report about their 1215 horsepower car

00:06:50which was exhibited at the Olympia Motor Show in 1905.

00:06:54The engine was a four-stroke with two cylinders

00:06:58each having opposed pistons.

00:07:01Subsequently, this layout was named

00:07:03Opposite Piston Opposite Cylinder.

00:07:06The advantage of such engines compared to others

00:07:09was the elimination of the cylinder head,

00:07:11reduced heat loss and friction loss in the engine

00:07:14as well as the creation of a straight-through gas flow

00:07:17through the combustion chamber.

00:07:19However, there was also a major drawback.

00:07:21The two pistons need to be mechanically connected somehow

00:07:24and this greatly complicates and burdens the design

00:07:27compared to conventional piston engines

00:07:30which use a single crankshaft.

00:07:32Due to their bulkiness,

00:07:34such opposed engines found application

00:07:35in heavy machinery and industry,

00:07:37on ships, submarines and in some tanks.

00:07:40However, they have been used a few times

00:07:42in aviation throughout their history.

00:07:43For example, in 1932,

00:07:46the Junkers Jumo 205 diesel aircraft engine was developed.

00:07:49And judging by this photograph,

00:07:52the German company NSU even managed to equip a motorcycle

00:07:55with such an engine.

00:07:56Aside from the photograph,

00:07:57which doesn't clarify much,

00:07:59there's no other information about it online.

00:08:01And this fact remains a big question.

00:08:04A very interesting construction

00:08:06on the topic of Opposite Piston,

00:08:08which I just can't ignore,

00:08:10appeared in 1954.

00:08:11That year, the Napier Deltic engine

00:08:14was produced for military boats.

00:08:16It uses three crankshafts,

00:08:18one at each corner,

00:08:20to form three rows of double-sided cylinders

00:08:22arranged in the shape of an equilateral triangle.

00:08:25The Deltic engine was used

00:08:27in British Rail Class 55 and 23 locomotives,

00:08:31as well as in high-speed patrol boats

00:08:33and minesweepers of the Royal Navy.

00:08:35The more familiar and well-known to us supposed,

00:08:38or as they say,

00:08:39boxer engine,

00:08:40was first developed somewhat later

00:08:42than the opposed piston designs

00:08:44by a German man at the end of the 19th century.

00:08:47In that era,

00:08:48cars were rare and luxurious,

00:08:50not just in Germany,

00:08:51but throughout the developed world.

00:08:53However,

00:08:54this did not stop the few car owners

00:08:55from indulging their expectations

00:08:57for increased power and speed.

00:08:59These trends were timely recognized

00:09:01by a talented engineer

00:09:02and pioneer of automobile manufacturing.

00:09:05In 1896,

00:09:06he established a special department

00:09:08for automobile engine design

00:09:10at his company in Mannheim

00:09:12and began developing

00:09:13efficient multi-cylinder designs.

00:09:15And a year later,

00:09:17the company presented a new engine concept.

00:09:20And the talented engineer

00:09:21was named Carl Friedrich Michael Benz.

00:09:24Thank you, Grandpa Benz,

00:09:26for a happy childhood.

00:09:31It was Benz who came up with the layout

00:09:34in which the cylinders are arranged

00:09:35on both sides of the central crankshaft.

00:09:38And this engine architecture

00:09:39turned out to be quite successful

00:09:41and fairly compact

00:09:42compared to other types of opposed engines.

00:09:45Over the next two years,

00:09:46Benz's engineers brought this so-called

00:09:49counter engine up to production standards.

00:09:51And already in 1898,

00:09:53they were installing

00:09:54four and two liter versions of it on buses.

00:09:57Fully refined opposed engines

00:09:59with displacements of 1.7 and 0.713

00:10:02United States gallons

00:10:04producing five and eight horsepower respectively.

00:10:06Finally debuted on the Benz Dosa Dose automobile

00:10:09in 1899.

00:10:10Three years later,

00:10:12aviators turned their attention

00:10:13to the opposed engine.

00:10:15In 1902,

00:10:16the monoplane of Peirce,

00:10:17which would later become

00:10:18one of the first airplanes

00:10:20to make a flight,

00:10:21was equipped with a two-cylinder opposed engine.

00:10:24To this day,

00:10:25the opposed engine

00:10:25is the most common motor

00:10:27in amateur small aviation.

00:10:29And all thanks to its advantages,

00:10:30it is one of the most economical

00:10:32in flight mode,

00:10:34well balanced,

00:10:35and has high torque at low speeds,

00:10:37which allows it to be operated

00:10:38without a gearbox.

00:10:40The opposed engine

00:10:41will debut on a motorcycle in 1905.

00:10:44But more about this later

00:10:45as the story unfolds.

00:10:51Some foreign sources give the credit

00:10:53to the Holden motorcycle.

00:10:55This is quite an unusual design,

00:10:57conceptually similar

00:10:58to the first mass-produced motorcycle

00:11:00by Hildebrand-Wolfmüller.

00:11:02On both of them,

00:11:03the force was transmitted

00:11:05to the rear wheel

00:11:05by connecting rods.

00:11:07Yes,

00:11:08just like on steam locomotives.

00:11:10Colonel Capel Holden

00:11:11built his first four-cylinder

00:11:13steam motorcycle in 1895

00:11:15and two years later

00:11:16created a version

00:11:17with a four-cylinder

00:11:18internal combustion engine,

00:11:19which in 1899

00:11:21was equipped with liquid cooling.

00:11:23These were extremely bold designs

00:11:24for that time.

00:11:25And yes,

00:11:26Holden's motorcycle

00:11:27was the first four-cylinder motorcycle

00:11:29in human history.

00:11:30But the four-cylinder engine

00:11:32of these machines

00:11:33was not an opposed engine,

00:11:35it was a flat V-type.

00:11:37The first motorcycle

00:11:38in human history

00:11:39equipped with a boxer engine

00:11:41was called Faye

00:11:42and was produced

00:11:43by Light Motors Company

00:11:44in 1905 in Britain.

00:11:46The machine was soon

00:11:47renamed to Ferry

00:11:47after its appearance.

00:11:49This motorcycle

00:11:50had a 200cc

00:11:52four-stroke boxer engine.

00:11:53Interestingly,

00:11:54the motorcycle industry

00:11:55only started using

00:11:57two-stroke boxers

00:11:58four decades later

00:11:59and even then

00:12:00just in a few models.

00:12:02We need to make it

00:12:03four-stroke

00:12:04so we can go.

00:12:05One, two, three, four.

00:12:06We don't give a damn

00:12:07about the fuel.

00:12:09And this engine placement

00:12:11in the motorcycle frame

00:12:12remained unchanged

00:12:13for two decades.

00:12:14Let me explain

00:12:15what this is related to.

00:12:16In fact,

00:12:17early motorcycles

00:12:18were basically bicycles

00:12:19with a small engine

00:12:21and for some time

00:12:22they didn't have

00:12:23gearboxes at all.

00:12:24So,

00:12:25in order to transfer power

00:12:26from the crankshaft

00:12:27to the wheel

00:12:28using a belt

00:12:28or chain drive

00:12:29without any gearboxes,

00:12:30it was necessary

00:12:31to position the engine

00:12:32with the crankshaft

00:12:33at an angle

00:12:33to the motorcycle.

00:12:35And while

00:12:36single-cylinder

00:12:36and V-twin engines

00:12:37fit quite harmoniously

00:12:38into the design,

00:12:39the boxer engine

00:12:40was rather bulky.

00:12:42But nobody cared

00:12:43about that,

00:12:43just like they didn't

00:12:44care about the

00:12:44motorcycle's increased

00:12:45wheelbase

00:12:46or the rear cylinder's

00:12:47insufficient cooling.

00:12:48It took time

00:12:49for the design

00:12:50to evolve.

00:12:52The first motorcycle

00:12:54where the opposed

00:12:54engines were arranged

00:12:55the way modern people

00:12:57are used to,

00:12:57that is,

00:12:58with the cylinders

00:12:59across the frame,

00:13:00was a machine

00:13:01designed by

00:13:01Granville Bradshaw.

00:13:02It was a 400cc motorcycle

00:13:05produced in 1919.

00:13:07According to other sources,

00:13:09a prototype from this company

00:13:11had already appeared

00:13:12in 1916.

00:13:13In 1907,

00:13:14Light Motors company,

00:13:15the one that produced

00:13:16the world's first

00:13:17opposed motorcycle,

00:13:19shut down.

00:13:19But before that,

00:13:21it managed to transfer

00:13:22motorcycle production

00:13:23to Douglas Engineering Company,

00:13:25one of its suppliers.

00:13:27And yes,

00:13:28the Douglas Company

00:13:29was quite successful

00:13:30in producing motorcycles

00:13:31with opposed engines,

00:13:32which it manufactured

00:13:33for 50 years,

00:13:35right up until 1957.

00:13:37At first,

00:13:38the engines were installed

00:13:39with the cylinders

00:13:40along the frame,

00:13:41and only from the mid-1930s

00:13:42were they mounted transversely.

00:13:44The company from Bristol

00:13:45actively supplied motorcycles

00:13:47to the British Army

00:13:48during World War I,

00:13:49about 70,000 units.

00:13:51In the early 1920s,

00:13:53for the first time

00:13:54in human history,

00:13:55a motorcycle was equipped

00:13:56with disc brakes

00:13:57and performed extremely

00:13:58actively in races.

00:14:01Douglas is one of the most

00:14:02successful boxer manufacturing

00:14:04companies of that time,

00:14:05and many looked up to it.

00:14:07In fact,

00:14:08starting from the 1910s

00:14:09up to the beginning

00:14:10of World War II

00:14:11and into the first

00:14:12post-war decade,

00:14:13almost everyone

00:14:14except the lazy

00:14:14was making motorcycles

00:14:15with such an engine.

00:14:17I won't go into detail

00:14:19about each one,

00:14:20because I don't want

00:14:21to turn the story

00:14:22into something boring.

00:14:24This partial list

00:14:25includes boxer motorcycle

00:14:26manufacturers

00:14:27from the early 20th century,

00:14:29such as British brands

00:14:30ABC, Douglas,

00:14:31Brault, Bradbury,

00:14:33Humber, Montgomery,

00:14:34Williamson,

00:14:35and Matchless.

00:14:35German brands

00:14:36Mars, Victoria Hoffman,

00:14:38Sundap, Helios,

00:14:39and BMW,

00:14:40American brands

00:14:40Indian and Harley-Davidson,

00:14:42Czechoslovak brand

00:14:43ETA,

00:14:43Belgian brands

00:14:44FN and Saroleia,

00:14:46and French brands

00:14:47Gnome Rhone

00:14:47and René Gillet.

00:14:49I'll elaborate

00:14:50on select motorcycle models.

00:14:52BMW will be covered

00:14:54in a dedicated chapter.

00:14:56So many people

00:14:57know about

00:14:58the two American giants

00:14:59in the world

00:15:00of motorcycles,

00:15:01like Harley-Davidson

00:15:02and Indian.

00:15:03This machine's image

00:15:04is strongly tied

00:15:05to Vetvenom.

00:15:06And some of you

00:15:07might be surprised

00:15:08that these brands

00:15:09tried to equip

00:15:09their motorcycles

00:15:10with a boxer engine.

00:15:12It should be noted

00:15:12that these were not

00:15:13entirely successful experiments.

00:15:16Indian model OU

00:15:17was a lightweight motorcycle

00:15:19produced from 1917 to 1919

00:15:21and was aimed

00:15:23at a young audience.

00:15:24The model OU,

00:15:25equipped in the style

00:15:26of Douglas

00:15:27with a two-cylinder

00:15:28257 cubic centimeters

00:15:30boxer engine

00:15:31producing 4 horsepower,

00:15:32replaced the

00:15:33K featherweight model

00:15:34with its two-stroke

00:15:35single-cylinder engine

00:15:36in the lineup.

00:15:37The model did not

00:15:38gain popularity

00:15:39and was unprofitable.

00:15:40A whole range

00:15:41of situations

00:15:42played a role here.

00:15:43The OU model

00:15:44debuted in 1917

00:15:46when the United States

00:15:47entered World War I.

00:15:49Indian redirected

00:15:50its efforts

00:15:51to selling motorcycles

00:15:52specifically to the military.

00:15:54The appeal

00:15:54of lightweight motorcycles

00:15:56as transportation

00:15:57was also undermined

00:15:58by the availability

00:15:59of mass-produced automobiles.

00:16:01The Ford Model T

00:16:02was synonymous

00:16:03with mass-produced automobile

00:16:04in that era.

00:16:06Therefore,

00:16:07in 1919,

00:16:08the OU model

00:16:09was successfully discontinued.

00:16:11After that,

00:16:12India never installed

00:16:13boxer engines

00:16:14on their machines again.

00:16:15In the same year,

00:16:16when Indian breathed

00:16:17a sigh of relief

00:16:18after getting rid

00:16:19of their boxer model,

00:16:21the guys from Harley

00:16:22and Davidson

00:16:22decided to step

00:16:23on the same wreck.

00:16:25William Harley

00:16:25and the Davidson brothers

00:16:27introduced the Model W,

00:16:28which was positioned

00:16:30as a medium weight

00:16:31and medium displacement

00:16:32model for beginner racers.

00:16:34On the outside,

00:16:35the motorcycle

00:16:35repeated the features

00:16:36of the British Douglas.

00:16:38The design

00:16:38that Harley came up with

00:16:39turned out to be

00:16:40quite interesting.

00:16:41The 6-horsepower,

00:16:43584cc flat twin engine

00:16:45had a 3-speed gearbox

00:16:46and a wet clutch

00:16:47in the same unit

00:16:48as the engine.

00:16:49The engine also served

00:16:50as a stressed member

00:16:51of the frame.

00:16:52The W model

00:16:53turned out

00:16:54to be very durable.

00:16:55Hepp Scherer,

00:16:56Harley Davidson's

00:16:57advertising manager,

00:16:58set endurance records

00:17:00on rides

00:17:00from British Columbia

00:17:01to Tijuana

00:17:02and from New York

00:17:03to Chicago.

00:17:04In July 1919,

00:17:05the W model

00:17:07became the first

00:17:08motorized vehicle

00:17:09to climb Mount

00:17:10San Antonio, California.

00:17:11However,

00:17:12the commercial model

00:17:13turned out

00:17:14to be unprofitable.

00:17:15In 1920,

00:17:16a year after

00:17:17the W model appeared,

00:17:18Indian began

00:17:19offering its scout

00:17:20to the masses.

00:17:21With similar dimensions,

00:17:23it was faster

00:17:23and more popular.

00:17:25Moreover,

00:17:25the W model

00:17:26cost more

00:17:27than a used Ford car

00:17:28and was about

00:17:29as expensive

00:17:30as the 1-liter

00:17:31V-twin

00:17:31from Harley and Davidson.

00:17:33Despite decent sales

00:17:34of the W model

00:17:35in Europe,

00:17:36by 1923,

00:17:37its production

00:17:38was discontinued.

00:17:40Once again,

00:17:40the company

00:17:41Harley and Davidson

00:17:42would be associated

00:17:43with a horizontally

00:17:43opposed engine

00:17:44during World War II

00:17:45with the model XA.

00:17:53At that time,

00:17:54the company

00:17:54received a specific

00:17:55assignment

00:17:56from the United States Army

00:17:57to develop a motorcycle

00:17:58with increased

00:17:59off-road capability

00:18:00for use

00:18:01in North Africa.

00:18:02Important requirements

00:18:03for use

00:18:03in desert conditions

00:18:04were a shaft drive

00:18:05for the rear wheel

00:18:06and more efficient

00:18:07engine cooling

00:18:08than the V-twin

00:18:09of the WLA model.

00:18:12The model

00:18:13was named

00:18:14the XA,

00:18:15which stood

00:18:16for Experimental Army.

00:18:18John Novak,

00:18:19the designer

00:18:19of this machine,

00:18:20had heard about

00:18:21BMW motorcycles

00:18:22and their successful use

00:18:23in the campaigns

00:18:24of the African core.

00:18:26John took the path

00:18:27of least resistance,

00:18:28practically copying

00:18:29the XA

00:18:30from a captured

00:18:31BMW R71 motorcycle.

00:18:34Some sources mention

00:18:35the BMW R12,

00:18:36but it's not crucial.

00:18:38In 1942 and 1943,

00:18:40about a thousand

00:18:41of these Harleys

00:18:42rolled off

00:18:43the assembly line.

00:18:44Let's go back to Europe

00:18:45in the period

00:18:45between the World Wars.

00:18:47During this period,

00:18:48Germany became

00:18:48one of the centers

00:18:49of active motorcycle development.

00:18:51And this was

00:18:52despite the defeat

00:18:53in the First World War

00:18:54and the subsequent

00:18:55period of hyperinflation

00:18:56in the early 20s.

00:18:58German industry gave

00:18:59the world a whole range

00:19:00of companies

00:19:01and many models

00:19:02of boxer motorcycles.

00:19:03One of them

00:19:04and one of the earliest

00:19:05German ones

00:19:06is Masa 20.

00:19:07The motorcycle,

00:19:08created at the

00:19:09Maswerke factory

00:19:10in Nuremberg in 1920,

00:19:11incorporated a lot

00:19:12of innovations

00:19:13of that time.

00:19:15Masa 20 is a legend

00:19:16among German motorcycles.

00:19:18It didn't have a frame

00:19:19in the usual sense

00:19:20of the word.

00:19:21The basis of the machine

00:19:22was a box-shaped

00:19:23load-bearing frame

00:19:24which housed the fuel

00:19:25and oil tanks

00:19:26as well as a storage box.

00:19:28Under the frame

00:19:29was a longitudinally

00:19:30mounted side valve

00:19:31opposed two-cylinder

00:19:32Maybach engine.

00:19:33With a working volume

00:19:34of 956 cubic centimeters

00:19:36and a power output

00:19:37of 7 and 3 tenths horsepower,

00:19:40it was equipped

00:19:41with an external flywheel

00:19:42which also served

00:19:44as the fan

00:19:44for the forced air

00:19:45cooling system.

00:19:46The engine was started

00:19:47in an automotive manner

00:19:49using a rotating handle

00:19:50through a special drive.

00:19:52And yes,

00:19:53many opposed motorcycles

00:19:54of those years

00:19:55were started

00:19:56in the same way,

00:19:56constantly being modernized,

00:19:58Masa was produced

00:19:59until 1933.

00:20:01In total,

00:20:01just over a thousand units

00:20:03were made.

00:20:04I should note,

00:20:05this was a very expensive

00:20:06motorcycle for its time.

00:20:08Another company

00:20:09from Nuremberg,

00:20:10Victoria Werke,

00:20:11also presented

00:20:12its first opposed motorcycle

00:20:13in 1920.

00:20:14This was the model

00:20:16Kaer 1

00:20:16which was equipped

00:20:17with the engine

00:20:18MDV AB15

00:20:19from BMW.

00:20:21However,

00:20:22later,

00:20:23BMW stopped selling

00:20:24its engines

00:20:25to Victoria

00:20:25and the latter

00:20:26lured Martin Stolle

00:20:28from BMW

00:20:28to design similar engines

00:20:30for Victoria.

00:20:31Here's something interesting.

00:20:32The opposed Victoria motorcycle

00:20:34in 1925

00:20:35became the first

00:20:37German motorcycle

00:20:37with forced induction.

00:20:39And on this machine,

00:20:41Adolf Brutz

00:20:41sets a new

00:20:42German speed record,

00:20:44166 kilometers per hour.

00:20:46In 1931,

00:20:47the Victoria company's

00:20:49motorcycle

00:20:49with an opposed engine

00:20:51wins the European

00:20:52Hill Climb Championship

00:20:53in the sidecar class

00:20:54with an engine

00:20:55up to 600 cubic centimeters.

00:20:57It was the 20 horsepower

00:20:59model KR6.

00:21:01A story about Victoria's history

00:21:02was recently released.

00:21:04A suggestion was made for it.

00:21:06Another well-known

00:21:07German company,

00:21:08Zundapp,

00:21:09began its history

00:21:09with boxer engines

00:21:10in 1933.

00:21:12That year,

00:21:13three models

00:21:14of boxer motorcycles

00:21:15were introduced

00:21:15at once.

00:21:16The smallest was the

00:21:17model K400

00:21:18with a 10 horsepower engine.

00:21:20It stayed on the

00:21:20assembly line

00:21:21for only a year.

00:21:22The second model,

00:21:23K500,

00:21:24was equipped

00:21:24with a 16 horsepower

00:21:25boxer engine

00:21:26and remained in production

00:21:27until 1940.

00:21:30Many units of the K500

00:21:32and older Zundapp models

00:21:33were used by the German army

00:21:35at the beginning

00:21:36of World War II.

00:21:37At first,

00:21:38the four-stroke engines

00:21:39had a side-valve

00:21:40timing mechanism

00:21:41and only in 1936

00:21:42did an overhead valve

00:21:43version of the 500

00:21:45appear,

00:21:46the KS500 model.

00:21:48Its 20 horsepower

00:21:49engine accelerated

00:21:50the motorcycle

00:21:51to 130 kilometers

00:21:52per hour,

00:21:53but the KS500

00:21:54was not suitable

00:21:55for use

00:21:56with a sidecar.

00:21:57In 1938,

00:21:58the company

00:21:59offered a compromise

00:22:00option,

00:22:01the Zundapp

00:22:02KS600.

00:22:03By increasing

00:22:04the engine displacement

00:22:05to 596 cubic centimeters

00:22:07and installing

00:22:08a single carburetor

00:22:09instead of two,

00:22:10the engineers

00:22:10accomplished

00:22:10two tasks

00:22:11at once.

00:22:11They significantly

00:22:12increased the engine's

00:22:13torque at low revolutions

00:22:14per minute

00:22:15and at the same time

00:22:16improved its output

00:22:17at high revolutions

00:22:18per minute

00:22:18up to 28 horsepower.

00:22:20The reinforced chassis

00:22:20responded better

00:22:21to the tough operating

00:22:22conditions with a sidecar.

00:22:24Zundapp Boxer engines

00:22:25are often compared

00:22:26to BMW.

00:22:27The engines

00:22:28and frames

00:22:28of these machines

00:22:29have obvious

00:22:30external similarities,

00:22:32but in detail

00:22:33they are completely

00:22:33different machines.

00:22:35The crankshaft

00:22:36of the Zundapp

00:22:36KS600 engine

00:22:38rotated in three main bearings,

00:22:40two roller bearings

00:22:41and one plane bearing.

00:22:42The connecting rods

00:22:43were mounted on it

00:22:44with roller bearings

00:22:45equipped with cages.

00:22:46The camshaft

00:22:47was located

00:22:48in the upper part

00:22:49of the crankcase

00:22:49and its drive

00:22:50was carried out

00:22:51by gears made

00:22:52of Novatex material.

00:22:53This synthetic composition,

00:22:55reinforced with

00:22:56flax fiber,

00:22:57although it was

00:22:57a bit brittle,

00:22:58provided a low noise level.

00:23:01A conical gear

00:23:02was introduced

00:23:02into the kickstarter

00:23:03mechanism,

00:23:04so the engine

00:23:05did not have

00:23:06to be started sideways.

00:23:07As with BMW,

00:23:08the two-disc clutch

00:23:09operated in an oil mist.

00:23:11The four-speed gearbox

00:23:13had an extremely

00:23:14extravagant design.

00:23:16The 600 model

00:23:17was produced

00:23:18from 1938 to 1941

00:23:20and from 1949 to 1951

00:23:23it was produced

00:23:23as the KS600-1 model.

00:23:26The crowning achievement

00:23:27and the third model

00:23:28presented in 1933

00:23:29was the Zundapp K800 motorcycle

00:23:32with a four-cylinder

00:23:34side-valve

00:23:34opposed engine.

00:23:36The model was produced

00:23:37up until 1938

00:23:38and a little over

00:23:397,000 units

00:23:40rolled off the assembly line.

00:23:42The K800 was equipped

00:23:44with a four-cylinder

00:23:45opposed air-cooled engine

00:23:47with a power output

00:23:48of 20 horsepower.

00:23:49And both externally

00:23:50and internally,

00:23:51it represented

00:23:52a very well-designed

00:23:53and beautiful construction,

00:23:54but it was also

00:23:55very expensive

00:23:55and complex.

00:23:56The army version

00:23:57of the K800W

00:23:58was especially favored

00:24:00by soldiers,

00:24:00but this model

00:24:01often had issues

00:24:02with the rear cylinders

00:24:03due to insufficient cooling,

00:24:05causing the spark plugs

00:24:06to get fouled with oil.

00:24:08The Wehrmacht

00:24:09had about 550 units

00:24:11of the K800W

00:24:13in service.

00:24:14The K800 was

00:24:15and remains

00:24:16the only four-cylinder motorcycle

00:24:17ever used

00:24:18by the German army.

00:24:20Now we've arrived

00:24:21at a fascinating model,

00:24:23the Zundapp K750.

00:24:24This military motorcycle

00:24:26was developed

00:24:27specifically for the Wehrmacht

00:24:28at their request.

00:24:30And what kind of engine

00:24:31does it have?

00:24:32Huh?

00:24:33Opposed?

00:24:34V-twin?

00:24:35If you look

00:24:36at the cylinder angle,

00:24:38it seems like a V-twin,

00:24:39but if you look

00:24:40at the crankshaft,

00:24:41it looks a lot

00:24:42like an opposed engine.

00:24:44So where is the truth then?

00:24:46Here you need

00:24:47to look

00:24:47at where the roots are.

00:24:50The KS750 engine

00:24:51was designed

00:24:52based on earlier

00:24:53Zundapp opposed engines.

00:24:54And in the case

00:24:55of the KS750,

00:24:57the cylinder bank angle

00:24:58was deliberately made

00:24:59170 degrees

00:25:00to increase the clearance

00:25:01from the cylinders

00:25:02to the ground.

00:25:03It's a military motorcycle

00:25:05designed for tough

00:25:06road conditions.

00:25:07But in terms of operation

00:25:08and the angle

00:25:09between the crankpins

00:25:10at 180 degrees,

00:25:11it still remained

00:25:12an opposed engine.

00:25:13There was just a bit

00:25:14more vibration.

00:25:21Now,

00:25:22I'll discuss another

00:25:23opposed engine

00:25:23with a cylinder bank angle

00:25:25other than 180 degrees.

00:25:28Maybe that phrase

00:25:29sounded like the rambling

00:25:30of a madman,

00:25:31but I hope you caught

00:25:32my train of thought.

00:25:34This motorcycle

00:25:35is the Austrian

00:25:36Puch P800.

00:25:37In the 1930s,

00:25:39the Puch company

00:25:39made great efforts

00:25:41to sign a contract

00:25:42with the Austrian government

00:25:43to supply their motorcycles

00:25:45to the army.

00:25:46Giovanni Marcellino,

00:25:47a pivotal figure

00:25:48in the company's history,

00:25:49developed the four-cylinder

00:25:50Puch P800 model

00:25:51for these goals

00:25:52in the mid-1930s.

00:25:55But this technical marvel

00:25:56did not interest the military.

00:25:58Despite the failure

00:25:59with the military contract,

00:26:00in March 1936,

00:26:02the new Austrian motorcycle

00:26:03was presented

00:26:04to the general public

00:26:05at the Vienna Spring Fair.

00:26:07Giovanni Marcellino

00:26:09was not a supporter

00:26:09of half measures.

00:26:11Knowing about this trait

00:26:12of his boss,

00:26:13Alfred Oswald,

00:26:14the head of the Puch

00:26:15engineering department,

00:26:16used all the capabilities

00:26:17of his team

00:26:18to outshine

00:26:18the renowned competitors.

00:26:20The four-cylinder

00:26:21side valve engine

00:26:22looked somewhat unusual,

00:26:23but it had all the features

00:26:25of a boxer engine.

00:26:27The four pistons move

00:26:28in a mirror-like fashion

00:26:29towards each other,

00:26:30and the angle

00:26:31between the connecting rods

00:26:32is 180 degrees.

00:26:33But here,

00:26:34the main feature

00:26:35of the brand appeared,

00:26:36an extravagant solution.

00:26:38Each pair of cylinders

00:26:39changed its tilt

00:26:40by 16 degrees

00:26:41relative to the horizontal.

00:26:43The total angle

00:26:44between the cylinders

00:26:45was 148 degrees.

00:26:47This allowed the lower edge

00:26:49of the cylinder block

00:26:50to be raised

00:26:51by 80 millimeters.

00:26:52At this point in the story,

00:26:54you might giggle

00:26:54and say,

00:26:55wait,

00:26:55at the 2 minute

00:26:56and 25 second mark

00:26:57of this episode,

00:26:58you said that a boxer engine

00:27:00is always exactly

00:27:00180 degrees?

00:27:02Yes, that's right,

00:27:03180.

00:27:04But there is an exception

00:27:06to this rule,

00:27:06and this exception

00:27:07is two models

00:27:08of motorcycles,

00:27:09Tsundapka S 750

00:27:11and Puch 800.

00:27:13By the way,

00:27:14about the Puch company,

00:27:15they developed

00:27:16their first horizontally

00:27:17opposed engine

00:27:18in 1898.

00:27:20And also,

00:27:21at the end of the 40s

00:27:22and the beginning

00:27:23of the 50s,

00:27:24the company released

00:27:25the model Piazzot Esges,

00:27:26which did not go

00:27:27beyond the experimental stage.

00:27:29Now, I want to say

00:27:30a little about

00:27:31the British company

00:27:32Vuller,

00:27:32which produced motorcycles

00:27:33from 1900 to 1955,

00:27:36and since 1919,

00:27:37they produced

00:27:38opposed engines.

00:27:40Actually,

00:27:40the opposed engines

00:27:41of this company

00:27:42were quite similar

00:27:42to the technology

00:27:43of Douglas.

00:27:44We are interested

00:27:45in two motorcycle

00:27:46prototypes

00:27:47from this company

00:27:48from the late 40s

00:27:49to the early 50s.

00:27:51So,

00:27:51on February 16th,

00:27:531948,

00:27:54Vuller presented

00:27:54their light-foe prototype

00:27:56to the press.

00:27:58The engine

00:27:58had an interesting layout.

00:28:00It was a four-cylinder

00:28:01and, in fact,

00:28:02consisted of two joined

00:28:03V-twins

00:28:04with a cylinder angle

00:28:05of 180 degrees.

00:28:07Instead of two crankshafts,

00:28:09they used two pairs

00:28:10of short-connecting rods,

00:28:11which rotated

00:28:12on a central T-shaped beam.

00:28:14The upper and lower

00:28:15rows of pistons

00:28:16were in opposite phases

00:28:18for balance.

00:28:19Despite its height,

00:28:20the engine

00:28:20was less than

00:28:21half a meter wide

00:28:22and weighed only

00:28:2334 kilograms together

00:28:25with the four-speed gearbox.

00:28:27The claimed top speed

00:28:28of this motorcycle

00:28:29was 145 kilometers per hour,

00:28:32although the output power

00:28:33was not specified.

00:28:35However,

00:28:36Vuller faced a number

00:28:37of problems

00:28:37with launching

00:28:38the model into production.

00:28:40By the way,

00:28:41Vuller Lightfoe

00:28:42is somewhat similar

00:28:43to Brav Superior

00:28:44Golden Dream,

00:28:45except that the Superior

00:28:46used two crankshafts

00:28:47instead of a complex

00:28:49connecting rod system.

00:28:50But in October 1952,

00:28:52it was announced

00:28:53that the brand new

00:28:54500 cubic centimeter

00:28:55flat faux

00:28:56would go into production

00:28:57in April of the following year.

00:28:59And although this ambitious goal

00:29:01was not achieved,

00:29:02in August of 1953,

00:29:04an experimental model

00:29:05was presented to the press.

00:29:07In November of the following year,

00:29:09it was shown to the public

00:29:10at the Earl Scott show

00:29:12of 1954.

00:29:13The brand new

00:29:14overhead valve

00:29:15four-cylinder engine

00:29:16was developed

00:29:17by Ron Vuller.

00:29:18He created a simpler layout.

00:29:20It was a flat,

00:29:21V-shaped four-cylinder engine

00:29:23that produced 32 horsepower.

00:29:25However,

00:29:26due to high production costs

00:29:27and other difficulties,

00:29:28the Vuller flat faux

00:29:29was produced

00:29:30in very limited numbers.

00:29:32And why have I been talking

00:29:33for the last couple of minutes

00:29:34not about the boxer engine?

00:29:36And then,

00:29:36so that I could clearly show you

00:29:38a flat V4

00:29:39and how it differs

00:29:40from a boxer engine.

00:29:42Lastly,

00:29:43in this chapter,

00:29:43I'll briefly discuss

00:29:45French and Belgian boxer engines.

00:29:47So,

00:29:48there was a French company

00:29:49called Nomeroen

00:29:50and even back in World War I,

00:29:52it became famous

00:29:53for its aircraft engines.

00:29:54After the war ended,

00:29:56with a sharp drop in demand

00:29:57for those very engines,

00:29:58the company's management

00:29:59faced a tough challenge.

00:30:01What should they produce?

00:30:02Nomeroen followed

00:30:03the same path as BMW.

00:30:05Recognizing their inexperience

00:30:06in motorcycle manufacturing,

00:30:08they chose to license

00:30:09from a specialist

00:30:10already well versed

00:30:11in the field.

00:30:12The choice fell

00:30:13on a rather unusual design

00:30:14for that time,

00:30:15the ABC motorcycle,

00:30:17designed by the well-known

00:30:18engineer Grenville Bradshaw.

00:30:20The ABC model

00:30:21was the first

00:30:21to have the engine installed

00:30:23with the cylinders

00:30:23positioned across the frame.

00:30:26From 1920 to 1924,

00:30:29the company produced

00:30:30about 3,000 of these

00:30:31unusual and rather expensive

00:30:33machines

00:30:33and then switched

00:30:34to manufacturing

00:30:35more conventional motorcycles.

00:30:37But the love

00:30:38for the boxer engine

00:30:39didn't go anywhere

00:30:40and in 1930,

00:30:42a new generation

00:30:42of machines

00:30:43debuted with 500cc

00:30:45two-cylinder boxer engines.

00:30:47They were distinguished

00:30:48by a shaft drive

00:30:49to the rear wheel,

00:30:50a duplex frame

00:30:50made of stamped elements

00:30:52and a front parallelogram fork

00:30:53with strong springs,

00:30:54also manufactured

00:30:55using stamping methods.

00:30:57The pinnacle

00:30:58of this family's development

00:30:59was the Gnome Rayon 750

00:31:02presented at the

00:31:03Paris Motor Show

00:31:04in October 1935

00:31:05featuring a two-cylinder

00:31:07overhead valve

00:31:08boxer engine

00:31:09with a displacement

00:31:10of 724 cubic centimeters

00:31:12producing 34 horsepower.

00:31:14At that time,

00:31:15it was one of the most powerful

00:31:16and fastest motorcycles

00:31:17in the world.

00:31:18In the solo version,

00:31:19the machine could accelerate

00:31:20up to 150 kilometers per hour

00:31:22and with the lightweight

00:31:23Bernadette Sport sidecar

00:31:25up to 110.

00:31:26In advertising its motorcycles,

00:31:28the Gnome Rayon company

00:31:29always emphasized

00:31:30the aviation quality

00:31:31of its products.

00:31:32To support this claim,

00:31:34the company encouraged

00:31:35its machines

00:31:35to participate

00:31:36in all sorts of

00:31:37long-distance runs

00:31:38and record-setting races.

00:31:39So,

00:31:40on September 5th,

00:31:411936,

00:31:42racer Bernard,

00:31:43riding a 750iX

00:31:45with a sidecar,

00:31:45overtook the Orient Express

00:31:47on the Budapest-Paris route

00:31:48covering 1,322 miles

00:31:50in 23 hours

00:31:52and 28 minutes.

00:31:53No less fame

00:31:54was gained

00:31:55by two record-setting sessions

00:31:56held with the support

00:31:57of the Yakko oil manufacturer

00:31:59at the Montlary track

00:32:01in 1937 and 1939.

00:32:03Among the most notable records

00:32:05set during these sessions

00:32:07were 24 hours

00:32:08at an average speed

00:32:10of 84.9 miles per hour

00:32:12and 50,000 kilometers

00:32:14at an average speed

00:32:15of 68 miles per hour.

00:32:17In total,

00:32:18the Gnome Rayon 750X motorcycle

00:32:21set 108 world records,

00:32:23some of which

00:32:24have not been broken

00:32:25to this day.

00:32:26The last batch

00:32:27of these excellent motorcycles

00:32:28was produced in 1942

00:32:30when the Vichy government

00:32:32ordered a series

00:32:33of 50 motorcycles

00:32:34for the escort service

00:32:35of the country's top officials.

00:32:37These motorcycles,

00:32:39known as the Nomaron XC40,

00:32:41were used until 1952,

00:32:43escorting the motorcades

00:32:45not only of Henri Pétain,

00:32:47but also Charles de Gaulle

00:32:48and Vincent Auriol.

00:32:49Before the start

00:32:50of World War II,

00:32:51the company also introduced

00:32:52a military motorcycle

00:32:53with a side-valve-oposed engine,

00:32:55the Model A X2.

00:32:56And this was one

00:32:58of the first mass-produced

00:32:59military motorcycle models

00:33:00in the world

00:33:01with a driven sidecar wheel.

00:33:02The sidecar's payload capacity

00:33:04was 924.3 pounds.

00:33:06In addition to the standard version,

00:33:08the French army

00:33:09used a large number

00:33:10of special combat sidecars,

00:33:12medical,

00:33:13chemical protection,

00:33:14and so on.

00:33:15The model of the motorcycle

00:33:17X2 was produced

00:33:18in large quantities

00:33:19almost until the end

00:33:21of World War II,

00:33:22not only by the company

00:33:23Nome Rhone,

00:33:24but also by the motorcycle

00:33:25company Terra.

00:33:27The Nome Rhone X2

00:33:29could be found

00:33:30in almost all the armies

00:33:31that fought on both sides

00:33:32of the front line.

00:33:33Belgian motorcycles

00:33:35with opposed engines

00:33:36appeared thanks to

00:33:37preparations for World War II.

00:33:39The best strategists

00:33:40of that time

00:33:41were preparing

00:33:41for a mobile war,

00:33:42a mechanized war.

00:33:44One of them

00:33:44was the Belgian

00:33:45Minister of Defense,

00:33:46Lieutenant General Henri Dennis.

00:33:49He launched

00:33:49several projects

00:33:50for the rearmament

00:33:51and mechanization

00:33:52of the army,

00:33:53including a competition

00:33:54for a heavy army motorcycle.

00:33:56The requirements

00:33:57for the fire support,

00:33:58communications,

00:33:59and supply vehicle

00:34:00were quite strict.

00:34:01But this did not

00:34:02discourage the Belgian

00:34:03company FN Fabrique Nationale,

00:34:05which presented

00:34:06its own version,

00:34:07the heavy motorcycle

00:34:08FN M12

00:34:09at the beginning

00:34:10of 1937.

00:34:12It was a 1 liter

00:34:13opposed engine

00:34:14with a moderate power

00:34:15output of 22 horsepower.

00:34:17The compression ratio

00:34:18of 5 to 1 allowed it

00:34:20to use gasoline

00:34:21of any quality.

00:34:22The gearbox included

00:34:23four forward gears,

00:34:25a reverse gear,

00:34:26and a low gear.

00:34:27There was a drive

00:34:28to the sidecar wheel

00:34:29for the first time

00:34:30on a military motorcycle.

00:34:32By the way,

00:34:33the sidecar wheel drive

00:34:34system was proposed

00:34:35almost simultaneously

00:34:36and independently

00:34:37by two inventors,

00:34:39the Russian Peter Mazharov

00:34:40and the Englishman

00:34:42Henry Boan.

00:34:43At the end of 1929,

00:34:45Mazharov built

00:34:45an experimental motorcycle,

00:34:47the EZ-2 with the drive

00:34:48to the sidecar wheel,

00:34:50while Boan created

00:34:51the first real motorcycle

00:34:52with a similar drive

00:34:53which he produced

00:34:54in a small series

00:34:55under the Boan brand

00:34:56from 1930 to 1936.

00:34:59The civilian version

00:35:00of the FN M12

00:35:01Grand Tourism

00:35:02debuted at the

00:35:03Brussels Auto Show

00:35:03in January 1937,

00:35:07which never went

00:35:08into mass production.

00:35:10In the spring of 1937,

00:35:11the military version

00:35:12of the FN M12

00:35:13anti-ship missile

00:35:14was presented

00:35:15for army trials.

00:35:15The motorcycles

00:35:17covered 6,000 kilometers,

00:35:19including sandy

00:35:20and rocky

00:35:21off-road terrain

00:35:22in six days

00:35:23and received

00:35:24an excellent rating.

00:35:25In July 1938,

00:35:26the FN M12 SM motorcycle

00:35:29was presented

00:35:30at the International

00:35:31Army Motorcycle Competition

00:35:32in SPA.

00:35:33After that,

00:35:34its exports abroad began.

00:35:36Most of the vehicles

00:35:37were purchased by Iran,

00:35:3851 motorcycles,

00:35:40and Greece,

00:35:4033.

00:35:41Several motorcycles

00:35:42ended up in Germany,

00:35:44where they were thoroughly studied.

00:35:46Thus,

00:35:46the German company

00:35:47used some of these

00:35:48technical solutions

00:35:49when designing

00:35:50their own army motorcycle,

00:35:52the KS 750.

00:35:55Based on the successful M12,

00:35:57the company later developed

00:35:58the FN 12T3 tricycle,

00:36:01also known as the FN Tri-K,

00:36:03which was designed

00:36:03to solve logistical tasks

00:36:05in the army,

00:36:06namely the delivery

00:36:07and transport of cargo,

00:36:08with a total weight

00:36:09of up to 700 kilograms.

00:36:12Thanks to the same competition

00:36:14for the development

00:36:15of an army motorcycle

00:36:16in Belgium,

00:36:17the Sorolea 38H appeared.

00:36:19It was an excellent

00:36:20army motorcycle

00:36:21with a 1 liter opposed engine.

00:36:24However,

00:36:24the overwhelming majority

00:36:26of these approximately

00:36:27300 vehicles

00:36:29ended up in the ranks

00:36:30of the Wehrmacht

00:36:31after the capitulation

00:36:32of Belgium

00:36:33and were later lost

00:36:34on the Eastern Front.

00:36:36We've now arrived

00:36:37at the renowned motorcycle

00:36:38manufacturer BMW.

00:36:40BMW has been the most successful

00:36:42in creating boxes

00:36:43throughout the entire history

00:36:44of motorcycle manufacturing.

00:36:45The discussion about them

00:36:46is set aside

00:36:47for a separate chapter.

00:36:49This company

00:36:50and its history

00:36:51definitely deserve

00:36:52a separate large-scale story,

00:36:54but that will be

00:36:54sometime later.

00:36:55Now we'll focus

00:36:56on the opposed engines,

00:36:57and not even all of them,

00:36:59but only on the key models

00:37:00in the brand's history.

00:37:02Have you heard

00:37:02about the German Helios motorcycles?

00:37:04Well,

00:37:05I hadn't heard of them either

00:37:06before working on this story.

00:37:08So,

00:37:08this opposed engine

00:37:09was built by the

00:37:10Bayerische Motorenwerke company

00:37:12in 1921,

00:37:141922

00:37:14by Gustav Otto's firm

00:37:16which BMW

00:37:16would absorb in 1922.

00:37:19And yes,

00:37:19this is the same engine

00:37:20that was used

00:37:21on the Victoria KR1

00:37:23and the roots of this engine

00:37:24come from foggy Albion,

00:37:26namely from Douglas.

00:37:27The so-called predecessor

00:37:29of BMW motorcycles,

00:37:30the Helios,

00:37:31was improved

00:37:32by Max Friss

00:37:33and Martin Stoll

00:37:33who equipped it

00:37:34with a transverse

00:37:35opposed engine.

00:37:36The model was called

00:37:37the R32

00:37:38and it was the first motorcycle

00:37:40developed in-house

00:37:40by BMW.

00:37:42The engine of this model

00:37:43produced 8.5 horsepower

00:37:44and by 1926,

00:37:463,000 units

00:37:47of the R32

00:37:48had already been built.

00:37:50Martin Stoller

00:37:51is a very significant figure

00:37:53in history.

00:37:54Before the war,

00:37:55he owned his own workshop

00:37:56in Munich

00:37:56and later became

00:37:57a well-known

00:37:58motorcycle designer.

00:38:00His achievement

00:38:01is considered

00:38:02to be convincing

00:38:03the management of BMW

00:38:04to start developing

00:38:05new power units

00:38:06for motorcycles.

00:38:08Already in 1925,

00:38:09the next motorcycle model,

00:38:11the R37,

00:38:12was released.

00:38:12It differed

00:38:13from the first BMW model

00:38:14by having a radically

00:38:15improved opposed engine

00:38:17with 16 horsepower.

00:38:19In the same year,

00:38:20the sports model

00:38:21achieved 91 victories

00:38:22in various categories

00:38:23and won two championship titles.

00:38:25And in 1926,

00:38:26it won a gold medal

00:38:27at the Fédération

00:38:27Internationale

00:38:28de Motociclism

00:38:29competitions

00:38:29in Great Britain.

00:38:30In 1927-28,

00:38:32the company's engineers

00:38:33were working

00:38:34on equipping the motorcycle

00:38:35with a supercharger.

00:38:36By 1929,

00:38:38the machine was ready

00:38:39and this motorcycle,

00:38:40called WR750

00:38:42with Ernst Henner

00:38:43at the handlebars,

00:38:44set the first speed record

00:38:45for BMW

00:38:45on September 19, 1929,

00:38:48216.75 kmph.

00:38:52Record runs

00:38:53with supercharged engines

00:38:54continued until 1937.

00:38:56A year later,

00:38:57the record reached 221.5 kmph.

00:39:00In 1930,

00:39:01it was 238.3

00:39:03and in 1937,

00:39:05the same Ernst Henner

00:39:06on a new BMW motorcycle

00:39:08with an overhead valve engine

00:39:10of 500 cubic centimeters

00:39:12and a power of 108 horsepower

00:39:14reached a maximum speed,

00:39:16279.5 kmph.

00:39:19This record stood for 14 years.

00:39:22In 1938,

00:39:24Georg Mayer became

00:39:25the European champion

00:39:26in the 500cc class motorcycle races

00:39:30on a supercharged motorcycle.

00:39:32The next year,

00:39:33he won the famous

00:39:33tourist trophy race

00:39:35on the Isle of Man.

00:39:36It turns out

00:39:37that already in its first decade,

00:39:39the company made a serious name

00:39:40for itself

00:39:41with the reliability

00:39:42of its equipment

00:39:43and various victories.

00:39:45And already,

00:39:46at the turn of the 20s and 30s,

00:39:47it was producing

00:39:48a whole lineup

00:39:48of opposed-engine motorcycles.

00:39:50If in the 1910s,

00:39:52many looked up to Douglas

00:39:54when designing boxers,

00:39:55then in the 30s and 40s,

00:39:57many would look up to BMW.

00:40:00Since the mid-1930s,

00:40:02Germany,

00:40:02including the company BMW,

00:40:04was preparing

00:40:05its entire industry for war.

00:40:07In addition to civilian models,

00:40:10motorcycles were developed

00:40:11for service in the Wehrmacht.

00:40:13The models Air 12

00:40:14and Air 71

00:40:15were intended for these purposes.

00:40:17But with the beginning

00:40:18of World War II in 1939,

00:40:20German engineers gained access

00:40:21to captured Belgian

00:40:22and French boxer engines.

00:40:24Yes,

00:40:25the very same ones

00:40:25from the previous chapter.

00:40:27The Germans truly appreciated

00:40:29both the sidecar wheel drive

00:40:30and other engineering solutions

00:40:32of their continental neighbors.

00:40:34A decision to create

00:40:35a special army motorcycle

00:40:36immediately followed.

00:40:37In 1941,

00:40:39that model became the R75.

00:40:41If you're tempted

00:40:42to criticize the Soviet Union,

00:40:44claiming we lacked originality

00:40:45and merely imitated BMW,

00:40:48remember this.

00:40:49BMW readily used solutions

00:40:51from Douglas, FN,

00:40:52and Gnome Roan.

00:40:55BMW 75 was rightfully

00:40:56one of the most advanced motorcycles

00:40:58with a sidecar wheel drive

00:40:59at that time.

00:41:00Overhead valve engine,

00:41:02750 cc,

00:41:0426 horsepower,

00:41:05the first motorcycle

00:41:06to feature

00:41:07an automatic ignition timing

00:41:09adjustment mechanism,

00:41:10four-speed gearbox

00:41:11with reverse gear,

00:41:13reduction gear,

00:41:14differential with locking mechanism,

00:41:16and a shared hydraulic brake

00:41:17for the rear wheel

00:41:18and the sidecar wheel.

00:41:20Many other manufacturers

00:41:21took the Germans' technology

00:41:22as an example.

00:41:23So,

00:41:24during World War II,

00:41:25American General Motors

00:41:26created a prototype

00:41:28of the Delco military tricycle,

00:41:29and Harley produced

00:41:31about a thousand units

00:41:32of the XA model.

00:41:34In the late 1940s,

00:41:35Swiss company Condor

00:41:36produced the Opposita model

00:41:38for the army,

00:41:38manufacturing 580 units post-war,

00:41:41under the impression

00:41:42of German technology,

00:41:43or maybe Belgian as well.

00:41:46The war ended in 1945

00:41:47and, as we know,

00:41:48not in favor of the Germans.

00:41:50The restrictions imposed

00:41:52by the Allies after the war

00:41:53did not allow Germany

00:41:54to build heavy motorcycles,

00:41:56only single-cylinder ones

00:41:57with limited engine capacity,

00:41:59but in 1947

00:42:00there was a very interesting

00:42:01attempt to build

00:42:02a miniature boxer engine,

00:42:04the R10.

00:42:05More about it

00:42:06in the next chapter.

00:42:07The company would return

00:42:08to serial boxer engines

00:42:10in 1950

00:42:11with the model R51-2.

00:42:15BMW was fortunate

00:42:16during that period.

00:42:18The Munich division

00:42:19ended up in the

00:42:20American occupation zone.

00:42:21In 1948,

00:42:23the motorcycle manufacturer

00:42:24gained access

00:42:25to foreign markets,

00:42:26including the American one.

00:42:28For avid athletes,

00:42:29already in 1951,

00:42:31the R68 model was developed

00:42:32with a top speed

00:42:33of over 160 kilometers per hour.

00:42:37In the 50s and 60s,

00:42:39a whole range of boxer engines

00:42:40followed once again.

00:42:41They were all just as renowned

00:42:42for their reliability

00:42:43and technologically

00:42:44kept up with the times.

00:42:46The machines participated

00:42:47in many competitions,

00:42:49but by the late 60s,

00:42:50the boxer engine's potential

00:42:51was no longer sufficient.

00:42:53In many countries,

00:42:54this equipment served

00:42:56in the traffic police

00:42:57and as escort vehicles.

00:42:59In 1973,

00:43:00the company released

00:43:01the R96

00:43:02and its sports version,

00:43:03the R90s,

00:43:05both with a 900cc

00:43:06overhead valve boxer engine,

00:43:08marking the first time

00:43:09they crossed

00:43:09the 750cc mark.

00:43:11Four years later,

00:43:12a one-liter model

00:43:13was introduced.

00:43:15In the late 1970s,

00:43:16BMW ventured

00:43:17into off-road sports,

00:43:18specifically rally racing.

00:43:20That's how the legendary GS family

00:43:23from BMW was born.

00:43:24And it all started

00:43:25with the R80 GS model in 1980.

00:43:28This motorcycle quickly set out

00:43:30to conquer the Paris-Dakar rally.

00:43:32BMW was perfect for this.

00:43:35The boxer engine

00:43:35had good cooling,

00:43:36strong low-end torque,

00:43:37and gave the motorcycle

00:43:39a low center of gravity.

00:43:41The drive shaft

00:43:42was a clear advantage

00:43:43when used in the desert.

00:43:44And the first

00:43:46in the Goose family

00:43:47won the Dakar four times

00:43:49in 1981,

00:43:501983,

00:43:511984,

00:43:52and 1985.

00:43:54Is it even necessary

00:43:55to say that the GS series

00:43:56became incredibly popular?

00:43:58Many motorcycle enthusiasts

00:44:00craved adventure,

00:44:01though not necessarily

00:44:02on the scale

00:44:02of the Dakar rally.

00:44:04And BMW gave them

00:44:05those emotions.

00:44:06BMW invented

00:44:07the touring enduro niche,

00:44:09which has become

00:44:09increasingly popular

00:44:11in the 21st century.

00:44:12The company still dominates

00:44:13the market with modern models

00:44:15like the R, 2641 lb, S,

00:44:18and R, 1377.45 lb, S.

00:44:22The opposed engine

00:44:24is also used

00:44:25in both tourers

00:44:25and road motorcycles.

00:44:27Like any company,

00:44:29BMW experiments.

00:44:30An interesting experiment

00:44:32was the model Eichpidva,

00:44:33which appeared in 2008

00:44:35and remained on the assembly line

00:44:37for four years.

00:44:38This is a sports bike

00:44:39with an opposed 1,200 cc,

00:44:42130 hp engine

00:44:43and 150 Nm of torque.

00:44:46There was also

00:44:47an enduro version

00:44:48of Eichpidva,

00:44:49and here the characteristics

00:44:50of the opposed engine

00:44:51are more suitable

00:44:52specifically for enduro,

00:44:54and the sports bike

00:44:54turned out to be

00:44:55an unsuccessful experiment.

00:44:57Nowadays,

00:44:58BMW is one of those brands

00:44:59that has kept

00:45:00opposed motorcycles

00:45:01in its lineup

00:45:02and continues to develop them.

00:45:04And BMW is the company

00:45:06that throughout its history

00:45:08has probably offered

00:45:09the largest number

00:45:10of boxer models.

00:45:16Usually,

00:45:17when we use the term

00:45:18opposed motorcycle,

00:45:19we mean rather heavy machines

00:45:20with a substantial

00:45:21engine displacement.

00:45:23At least 650 cc on domestic sidecars,

00:45:26and often a liter or more.

00:45:28Yes, it all started

00:45:30with a modest 200 cc back in 1905,

00:45:32but already in the 1930s,

00:45:34the engine displacement

00:45:35of such motors

00:45:36was rarely below 500.

00:45:38However,

00:45:39the history of motorcycle manufacturing

00:45:40also remembers

00:45:41some rather elegant

00:45:42small displacement motorcycles

00:45:44with opposed engines

00:45:45from the mid-20th century.

00:45:47What do we know

00:45:48about the late 1940s

00:45:49and early 1950s?

00:45:50This was the time

00:45:51just after World War II,

00:45:53and in post-war Europe,

00:45:55the Soviet Union,

00:45:56Japan, and so on,

00:45:57a car was considered

00:45:58a luxury item.

00:45:59As personal transport,

00:46:01an ordinary person

00:46:02could afford

00:46:02either a bicycle

00:46:03or a simple

00:46:04small displacement motorcycle.

00:46:06Therefore,

00:46:07during this period,

00:46:08motorcycle companies

00:46:09began to pay less attention

00:46:10to luxurious,

00:46:11large pre-war models

00:46:12and focused on

00:46:13what was necessary

00:46:14for the general public.

00:46:16More precisely,

00:46:17it depended on

00:46:17what the masses could afford.

00:46:19The best-selling bikes

00:46:20of this era

00:46:21were basic two-stroke,

00:46:22single-cylinder models

00:46:23such as the widely copied

00:46:24DKW RT-125

00:46:27produced in the Soviet Union,

00:46:28Britain, and Japan.

00:46:30However,

00:46:31in their attempts

00:46:32to conquer this market,

00:46:33engineers sometimes

00:46:34came up with

00:46:34very interesting

00:46:35and complex designs,

00:46:36including opposed engines.

00:46:38Here's a small selection

00:46:40which includes

00:46:41both two-stroke

00:46:42and four-stroke

00:46:43boxer engines.

00:46:50The BMW R10

00:46:52is a highly unique,

00:46:52compact opposed-engine

00:46:53motorcycle

00:46:54and the first to feature

00:46:55a two-stroke engine.

00:46:58Before this,

00:46:59two-stroke boxers

00:47:00were not installed

00:47:01on motorcycles.

00:47:02At least,

00:47:02there are no earlier

00:47:03mentions of them.

00:47:04In 1947,

00:47:05the idea of a miniature

00:47:06opposed-engine

00:47:07came to the minds

00:47:08of engineers.

00:47:10We're talking about

00:47:11an enterprise in Munich

00:47:12which was part of

00:47:13the American occupation zone.

00:47:15Post-war Germany

00:47:16required affordable

00:47:17and lightweight equipment,

00:47:18which was the priority

00:47:19in developing the BMW R10.

00:47:22The equipment turned out

00:47:23to be simple

00:47:24yet incredibly elegant.

00:47:26It was equipped

00:47:26with a 123 cubic centimeter,

00:47:29two-stroke,

00:47:30two-cylinder boxer engine

00:47:31that produced 5 horsepower.

00:47:33Above the crankshaft

00:47:34in the engine block

00:47:35there was a 3-speed gearbox

00:47:36and the power

00:47:37to the rear wheel

00:47:38was transmitted

00:47:39by a drive shaft.

00:47:40Several prototypes

00:47:41were built.

00:47:42The first one

00:47:42had a rigid rear end

00:47:44while a later version

00:47:45featured a rear wheel

00:47:46with a spring suspension.

00:47:47The project was closed

00:47:49at the prototype stage

00:47:50because a lucrative

00:47:51American market

00:47:52opened up for BMW

00:47:53and the focus shifted

00:47:55to a more expensive

00:47:56segment of equipment.

00:47:57Since we're talking

00:47:58about two-stroke machines,

00:48:00here's another one for you.

00:48:07The IFA-BK 350 motorcycle

00:48:10emerged in post-war Germany.

00:48:13BK referred to Boxerkardan.

00:48:15The air-cooled,

00:48:16two-stroke,

00:48:16opposed engine

00:48:17was initially created

00:48:18during the war

00:48:19by DKW.

00:48:20It was designed

00:48:21for the Luftwaffe

00:48:22as a starter

00:48:23for jet engines

00:48:24and had a displacement

00:48:25of 250 cubic centimeters.

00:48:28After some minor modifications

00:48:30and increasing

00:48:31the displacement

00:48:31to 343.5 cubic centimeters,

00:48:35this engine was used

00:48:36for civilian purposes.

00:48:38With its power

00:48:38of 15 horsepower

00:48:39and later versions

00:48:41producing 17,

00:48:42it was able

00:48:43to accelerate

00:48:43the 142 kilogram motorcycle

00:48:46to 120 kilometers per hour.

00:48:48using a three-speed gearbox.

00:48:50The motorcycle was first presented

00:48:53to the public in 1951,

00:48:55but it only went into production

00:48:56starting from 1952.

00:48:58In its final years,

00:48:59the IFA factory

00:49:00was renamed MZ.

00:49:02Consequently,

00:49:03the motorcycle

00:49:04was named MZDBK 350.

00:49:07The production of this model

00:49:09was stopped in 1959.

00:49:11A total of about 40,000

00:49:14of these machines

00:49:14were produced.

00:49:15Ah, you know,

00:49:16BK 350 was produced

00:49:18not only in Germany.

00:49:19A number of these motorcycles

00:49:20were produced

00:49:21by the Japanese company

00:49:22Olympus Kroon.

00:49:25The model was called Type Ic,

00:49:27and the motorcycle

00:49:28was produced

00:49:29from 56 to 62.

00:49:31Let's move to Britain

00:49:32of those years.

00:49:33After the war,

00:49:34the transportation issue

00:49:35was also acute there.

00:49:36Eugene Goodman,

00:49:37co-owner

00:49:38and chief designer

00:49:39of the Velos company,

00:49:40decided that the time

00:49:41had come for his project.

00:49:43The project

00:49:43was called

00:49:44The Little Engine.

00:49:46The company primarily

00:49:48made 350 CSA

00:49:50and 500 CSA

00:49:51single-cylinder engines

00:49:53then,

00:49:53but people needed

00:49:54smaller,

00:49:55cheaper options.

00:49:56The Little Engine

00:49:58debuted in 1948

00:49:59at the British Motor Show.

00:50:02The machine

00:50:02was equipped

00:50:03with a 150 cubic centimeter

00:50:05two-cylinder

00:50:06four-stroke

00:50:06opposed engine

00:50:07with liquid cooling.

00:50:09Since the cylinders

00:50:09were recessed

00:50:10into the crankcase

00:50:11and a side-valve timing

00:50:12system was used,

00:50:13the engine turned out

00:50:14not to be particularly wide.

00:50:16The frame was based

00:50:17on a load-bearing

00:50:18box-type structure

00:50:19to which the power unit

00:50:20was mounted

00:50:21on rubber silent blocks.

00:50:23To attract

00:50:24a non-motorcycle audience,

00:50:26the creators

00:50:26abandoned

00:50:27foot-operated gear shifting.

00:50:29The owners of the company,

00:50:31the Goodman Brothers,

00:50:32fanatically believed

00:50:33in the success

00:50:33of their venture

00:50:34and planned to tailor

00:50:35almost all of their production

00:50:37to this model.

00:50:38But the public received

00:50:39the new product

00:50:39rather coolly.

00:50:41First of all,

00:50:41not every Briton

00:50:42wanted to get acquainted

00:50:43with such an unusual

00:50:44and rather complex design.

00:50:46Secondly,

00:50:47the cart was frankly

00:50:48underpowered.

00:50:49The 6 HP opposed engine

00:50:50barely accelerated

00:50:51the vehicle

00:50:51to 49.7 miles

00:50:52Cishon H.

00:50:53But most importantly,

00:50:55the Velocet Li

00:50:56cost 126 pounds,

00:50:58while for 76,

00:50:59you could buy

00:51:00the BS A Bantam,

00:51:01a copy of the German

00:51:03DKW RT 125.

00:51:06The guy was on his way

00:51:07to success.

00:51:07It didn't work out,

00:51:08he wasn't lucky.

00:51:09The company quickly

00:51:10learned from its mistakes

00:51:11and at the end of 1950

00:51:12introduced the Velocet

00:51:14L1 Mark II.

00:51:16In this model,

00:51:17the engine capacity

00:51:18rose to 192 cc power

00:51:20to 8 HP

00:51:21and top speed

00:51:22to 55.93 miles

00:51:24at Sechecheorpo.

00:51:25The manufacturers

00:51:26managed to slightly

00:51:27lower the price,

00:51:28but the situation

00:51:29with little engine

00:51:30didn't really change.

00:51:31The police saved

00:51:32the vehicle.

00:51:33The department

00:51:33was delighted

00:51:34with the equipment.

00:51:35They decided

00:51:36that for patrolling

00:51:37provincial streets,

00:51:38the performance

00:51:39would be sufficient.

00:51:40The protection

00:51:41from splashes

00:51:42and bad weather,

00:51:42the ability

00:51:43to store equipment

00:51:44in side bags

00:51:45and the low noise

00:51:46level of the vehicle

00:51:47also appealed

00:51:48to the law enforcement officers.

00:51:49A little later,

00:51:50the postal service

00:51:51came to the rescue.

00:51:53From that moment on,

00:51:54most of the LE bicycles

00:51:55went straight

00:51:56from the assembly line

00:51:57into service.

00:51:58In the mid-50s,

00:52:00engineers decided

00:52:00to fill the gap

00:52:01between the weak

00:52:02little engine

00:52:03and the single-barrel

00:52:04sports model,

00:52:05L.I.

00:52:07This bicycle

00:52:07debuted at the end

00:52:08of 1956

00:52:09under the name

00:52:10Valiant.

00:52:10The machine

00:52:11was created

00:52:12almost from scratch.

00:52:13They installed

00:52:14an overhead valve

00:52:14opposed engine

00:52:15which retained

00:52:16a displacement

00:52:16of 192 cubic centimeters

00:52:19and a power output

00:52:20of 12 horsepower.

00:52:21Abandoned liquid cooling,

00:52:22added a kickstarter

00:52:23and equipped the machine

00:52:24with a new

00:52:254-speed KPP transmission.

00:52:27Unfortunately,

00:52:28neither the catchy name

00:52:29nor the strong appearance

00:52:30could withstand

00:52:30the main drawback

00:52:31of the machine,

00:52:32the high price.

00:52:33Until the early 70s,

00:52:35the company tried

00:52:36to boost sales

00:52:36of opposed engines.

00:52:38In 1960,

00:52:39they even released

00:52:40a model

00:52:40with a two-stroke,

00:52:41250 cubic centimeter

00:52:43engine called

00:52:44Viceroy.

00:52:45This machine

00:52:46did not have power issues

00:52:47like the L.E.

00:52:48Viceroy could

00:52:49confidently accelerate

00:52:50up to 110 kilometers

00:52:52per hour

00:52:53and in addition,

00:52:54it had an advanced

00:52:5412-volt electrical system

00:52:56and an electric starter

00:52:57for that time.

00:52:58However,

00:52:59the model ultimately

00:53:00failed to gain popularity

00:53:02due to its high price.

00:53:03By the end of the 60s,

00:53:05the police were already

00:53:06mostly driving cars

00:53:07and the demand

00:53:08for L.E.

00:53:09had dropped altogether.

00:53:10In 1970,

00:53:11the final small

00:53:12opposed engine

00:53:13was produced

00:53:14and the Velos company

00:53:15shut down

00:53:15a year later.

00:53:16Another small

00:53:17opposed engine

00:53:18comes from

00:53:19sunny Spain Mavisa.

00:53:20A Catalan motorcycle

00:53:22brand that,

00:53:22for a short period,

00:53:23produced motorcycles

00:53:24from 1953 to 1960.

00:53:27The business

00:53:27was run by two brothers,

00:53:29Manuel and Villa Vicente.

00:53:30In 1957,

00:53:32Mavisa presented

00:53:32the 250 Sport model

00:53:34at the exhibition

00:53:34in Barcelona.

00:53:35Mavisa 250 Sport

00:53:39It was equipped

00:53:40with a two-stroke

00:53:41opposed engine

00:53:42developed by Villa

00:53:43with a displacement

00:53:44of 250cc

00:53:45and a power output

00:53:47of 14 horsepower.

00:53:48The creators

00:53:49had to spend

00:53:49about two years

00:53:50developing

00:53:51scent-testing prototypes

00:53:52in order to reach

00:53:53the production

00:53:54of a more or less

00:53:55reliable motorcycle.

00:53:56However,

00:53:57most of these designs

00:53:58had the same

00:53:59significant problem.

00:54:00A small displacement

00:54:01opposed motorcycle

00:54:02costs one and a half

00:54:03times more

00:54:03than single-cylinder

00:54:04and inline twin motorcycles

00:54:06of a similar class.

00:54:07For this reason,

00:54:09Mavisa 250 Sport

00:54:10was produced

00:54:11in only eight units.

00:54:12A little earlier,

00:54:14a similar prototype

00:54:15was made

00:54:15by the Hungarian company

00:54:17Pannonia.

00:54:17In 1951,

00:54:19the RB 250

00:54:20was built

00:54:21with a two-stroke engine,

00:54:23which was developed

00:54:23by one of the factory workers

00:54:25who was passionate

00:54:26about aircraft modeling

00:54:27and knew about

00:54:28opposed engines firsthand.

00:54:30Pannonia released

00:54:31a trial batch

00:54:32of a couple dozen units,

00:54:34and that was the end

00:54:35of the RB 250 story.

00:54:37The German company

00:54:38Hoffman began its existence

00:54:40in 1949.

00:54:41In 1951,

00:54:42Richard Kuyken,

00:54:43one of Germany's

00:54:44leading motorcycle designers,

00:54:46presented a beautiful

00:54:48246cc-oposed motorcycle

00:54:50that resembled a BMW.

00:54:52The model was called

00:54:52the Hoffman Governor.

00:54:54In 1953,

00:54:56the engine displacement

00:54:57was increased

00:54:58to 300cc

00:54:59and the model

00:55:00was renamed

00:55:00the S300.

00:55:02Unfortunately,

00:55:03despite these updates,

00:55:04the company closed

00:55:05in 1954,

00:55:06partly due to

00:55:07the high cost

00:55:08of assembly

00:55:08and development,

00:55:10a weak domestic market,

00:55:11and also because

00:55:12of a legal dispute

00:55:13with Vespa

00:55:14over their licensing agreement.

00:55:15In 1954,

00:55:17just before closing,

00:55:18Hoffman also built

00:55:19the microcar

00:55:20autocabine 250

00:55:22with an opposed engine.

00:55:24It was a copy

00:55:24of the Isetta,

00:55:25the production rights

00:55:26for which belonged to BMW.

00:55:28Having failed to sell

00:55:29even a hundred

00:55:30of the produced microcars,

00:55:31Hoffman was facing

00:55:32a lawsuit.

00:55:33Well,

00:55:33and finally,

00:55:34a couple of Italians.

00:55:35The Industria Mechanica

00:55:37Napoletana Rocket.

00:55:38200,

00:55:38a small car

00:55:39with a 200cc engine

00:55:40and 11 horsepower,

00:55:42was introduced

00:55:42by Industria Mechanica

00:55:44Napoletana

00:55:44in 1956.

00:55:46But the most interesting

00:55:47thing about this machine

00:55:48is the block,

00:55:49the engine,

00:55:49gearbox,

00:55:50driveshaft,

00:55:51plus the attachments

00:55:51footrests,

00:55:52exhaust and stand

00:55:53actually form a swingarm.

00:55:55And all of this

00:55:56is attached to the frame

00:55:57and shock absorbers

00:55:58with a single axle.

00:55:59The second is

00:56:00the Capriolo Cento Cinquanta.

00:56:01Four stroke,

00:56:02175 cubic centimeters,

00:56:057.5 horsepower

00:56:06and chain drive

00:56:07to the wheel.

00:56:08There is also a series

00:56:09of miniature boxer engines

00:56:11from Japan,

00:56:12but I will talk about them

00:56:13in a separate chapter

00:56:14about Japanese boxer motorcycles.

00:56:16All these miniature boxer

00:56:18motorcycles are very cute.

00:56:19However,

00:56:21as you can see,

00:56:22technical perfection

00:56:23and aesthetics

00:56:24are far from being

00:56:25the main factors

00:56:26for a model's success.

00:56:28Practically all of these

00:56:29mini boxes

00:56:30lost out to simpler

00:56:32and cheaper motorcycle designs

00:56:34in their time.

00:56:36Nearly two hours

00:56:37into the story,

00:56:38we've finally reached

00:56:39the topic of

00:56:39Soviet Union's

00:56:40boxer motorcycles.

00:56:42In this chapter,

00:56:42I don't want to focus

00:56:43too much

00:56:44on the mass-produced models.

00:56:45The Dneper MT-10

00:56:47or the Ural M67

00:56:49are already well known

00:56:50to the general public.

00:56:51I want to focus more

00:56:53on the rare

00:56:53and interesting developments.

00:56:55The history

00:56:56of domestic motorcycles

00:56:57with horizontally

00:56:58opposed engines

00:56:59began in 1939

00:57:01when the Soviet government,

00:57:03concerned about

00:57:04Hitler's ambitions

00:57:05to expand German territories,

00:57:07began rearming

00:57:08the Red Army.

00:57:09The Germans were

00:57:09quite successful

00:57:10in developing

00:57:11heavy motorcycles,

00:57:12so in order to save time,

00:57:14it was decided to adapt

00:57:15an existing engineering solution.

00:57:17Union of Soviet Socialist Republic's

00:57:19Foreign Minister Molotov

00:57:20secretly bought

00:57:20five BMW 71 motorcycles

00:57:22from Sweden,

00:57:25and Soviet engineers

00:57:26got to work.

00:57:27In the winter of 1941,

00:57:29field tests

00:57:30of the new M72 motorcycle

00:57:32were conducted.

00:57:33Initially,

00:57:33production of the M72

00:57:35was organized in Moscow

00:57:36and at several other enterprises

00:57:38across the country.

00:57:39In particular,

00:57:40some components

00:57:41of the M72

00:57:42were produced

00:57:43at the Leningrad-Krasny

00:57:44Oktyabr plant.

00:57:45The production

00:57:46was moved to Irbet

00:57:47when the Wehrmacht troops

00:57:48came dangerously close

00:57:49to Moscow.

00:57:50And after the war,

00:57:51a decision was made

00:57:52to start the production

00:57:53of opposed motorcycles

00:57:55in Kiev as well.

00:57:56One of the most interesting

00:57:57opposed machines

00:57:58created during the war years

00:57:59was the motorcycle

00:58:00TMZ 53.

00:58:02It was developed

00:58:03in Tumen.

00:58:04At the end of November 1941,

00:58:06the evacuated

00:58:07Taganrog tool plant

00:58:08arrived here.

00:58:09In 1942,

00:58:11the company,

00:58:11facing staff

00:58:12and equipment shortages,

00:58:14only delivered

00:58:14187 AM 600 motorcycles

00:58:18to the military.

00:58:19They were never able

00:58:21to establish

00:58:21serial production

00:58:22of the M72

00:58:23at the new

00:58:24Tayumen motorcycle plant.

00:58:26In 42 workers

00:58:27created a prototype

00:58:28of the TMZ 53

00:58:30using German expertise.

00:58:32It was a heavy

00:58:33liter class opposed engine

00:58:34with drive

00:58:34to the sidecar wheel.

00:58:36The TMZ 53

00:58:37was tested together

00:58:38with the German motorcycles

00:58:39BMW 75

00:58:40and Sundab KS 750.

00:58:43The Red Army

00:58:44had plenty of such trophies.

00:58:46The tests were conducted

00:58:47in both summer and winter,

00:58:48including in difficult

00:58:49road conditions.

00:58:51In terms of performance,

00:58:52these motorcycles

00:58:53were equivalent.

00:58:54And off-road,

00:58:55the model designed in Tumen

00:58:56even showed better results,

00:58:58especially on steep climbs.

00:59:00The Tayumza 53

00:59:01only lost to the famous

00:59:02Sundab

00:59:03in terms of fuel efficiency

00:59:04and range.

00:59:05A smaller fuel tank

00:59:07was installed on the model.

00:59:08The tests conducted

00:59:10demonstrated

00:59:10that the 53rd

00:59:12could be used

00:59:12to tow a 45mm cannon

00:59:15and under certain conditions

00:59:16it could even pull

00:59:18a 76mm artillery system.

00:59:21Unfortunately,

00:59:22Tayumza 53,

00:59:23despite the promising development,

00:59:25turned out to be

00:59:25very difficult to manufacture.

00:59:27It was not possible

00:59:28to master its production

00:59:29under wartime conditions.

00:59:31All the more surprising

00:59:32is that out of the two

00:59:33experimental models produced,

00:59:35at least one has survived

00:59:36to this day

00:59:37and today,

00:59:38it can be seen

00:59:38in the collection

00:59:39of the Polytechnic Museum

00:59:40in Moscow.

00:59:41It is also worth noting

00:59:42that work with overhead

00:59:43valve engines

00:59:44was already being carried

00:59:45out during wartime.

00:59:46Thus,

00:59:47a prototype of the M73-75

00:59:49was developed,

00:59:50featuring a drive

00:59:50to the sidecar wheel.

00:59:52The accumulated experience

00:59:53allowed the introduction

00:59:54of racing motorcycles

00:59:55in the late 1940s

00:59:57post-war period,

00:59:58including the

00:59:58Erbitsky M75,

01:00:00the Serpukovsky M76

01:00:02and the Gorkovsky M80.

01:00:04The engines of this equipment

01:00:05produced power

01:00:06in the range

01:00:06of 40 to 50 horsepower,

01:00:08which allowed them

01:00:09to reach speeds

01:00:10of up to 180 kilometers per hour.

01:00:13Some work was also done

01:00:14for a while

01:00:14on compressor-type

01:00:15opposed engines,

01:00:16and in this field,

01:00:17Nikolaj Shumilkin

01:00:18achieved the greatest success.

01:00:20By the way,

01:00:20there is a separate feature

01:00:22about his motorcycles

01:00:23on the channel.

01:00:23His motorcycle,

01:00:24Kometa 2,

01:00:25was based on the BMW

01:00:27R51,

01:00:28on which a Zola compressor

01:00:29was installed.

01:00:30On this motorcycle,

01:00:32in 1946,

01:00:33Shumilkin rode

01:00:34one kilometer

01:00:34from a standing start

01:00:36at an average speed

01:00:37of 105 miles per hour,

01:00:39which was just below

01:00:40the all-union record.

01:00:42Nikolaj beat it

01:00:43only in 48,

01:00:45accelerating to

01:00:46109 miles per hour.

01:00:48By 1952,

01:00:50Nikolaj Nikiforovic

01:00:51had increased

01:00:52the engine power

01:00:53to 70 horsepower,

01:00:55and on the Kometa 2

01:00:56with the tail fairing,

01:00:57he accelerated

01:00:58to 131.5 miles per hour.

01:01:01A year and a half later,

01:01:03the streamlined

01:01:0490 horsepower,

01:01:05Kometa 3,

01:01:06appeared,

01:01:06on which Nikolaj

01:01:07showed a result

01:01:08of 138.96 miles per hour.

01:01:12However,

01:01:12soon the legendary mechanic

01:01:14left motorsport

01:01:15due to his advanced age.

01:01:17By that time,

01:01:18namely by the end

01:01:19of the 50s,

01:01:20two enterprises

01:01:20in the Soviet Union

01:01:21were mass-producing

01:01:22opposed motorcycles,

01:01:24the Kiev

01:01:24and Erbit motorcycle factories.

01:01:27In addition

01:01:28to standard motorcycles,

01:01:29a small number

01:01:30of sports machines

01:01:31were produced

01:01:31for participation

01:01:32in all union competitions.

01:01:34These were vehicles

01:01:35designed both

01:01:36for road racing

01:01:37and for sidecar motocross.

01:01:39In this work,

01:01:40Serpukov VNII

01:01:41Motoprom

01:01:41significantly assisted

01:01:43the enterprises.

01:01:44The Erbit factory

01:01:45had two interesting developments,

01:01:46the first being

01:01:47the EM100.

01:01:48The motorcycle

01:01:49was intended

01:01:50for use by the police.

01:01:51In 1962,

01:01:53the Central Committee

01:01:54of the Communist Party

01:01:55of the Soviet Union

01:01:55proposed creating

01:01:56a motorcycle

01:01:57that would outperform

01:01:58other vehicles in speed.

01:02:00The requirements were set

01:02:01150 kmph

01:02:03for the solo version

01:02:04and 120 for the sidecar version.

01:02:06The first two prototypes,

01:02:08with and without a sidecar,

01:02:09were assembled

01:02:10by fall 1963.

01:02:11By January 1964,

01:02:13they were tested

01:02:13in a 10,000 km run.

01:02:16Special attention

01:02:17was given

01:02:18to the 1,040 cm3 engine

01:02:21initially it produced

01:02:2240 horsepower,

01:02:23but to meet the set requirements

01:02:25for maximum speed,

01:02:26its power was increased

01:02:27to 50.

01:02:29In December of 1967,

01:02:31a small batch of M-STO

01:02:32was sent to the Moscow branch

01:02:33of the State Automobile Inspectorate.

01:02:35The estimated volume of orders

01:02:37for this model

01:02:37was supposed to be

01:02:381,500 units per year.

01:02:40The factory,

01:02:41loaded with mass production

01:02:43and lacking a small batch workshop,

01:02:45was not ready to manufacture

01:02:46such a quantity of new vehicles.

01:02:48As an alternative,

01:02:49the factory workers

01:02:50offered the police

01:02:51the M63P model,

01:02:53the production of which

01:02:54turned out to be

01:02:55much simpler and cheaper.

01:02:56The M63PE fully satisfied

01:02:59the police officers

01:03:00in terms of speed.

01:03:01The single seater

01:03:02reached 143 km per hour.

01:03:05The second promising model

01:03:06is the Ural M73.

01:03:08By the early 70s,

01:03:10the idea had matured

01:03:11at IMZ

01:03:11to release a motorcycle

01:03:12to the market

01:03:13that was more in line

01:03:14with the times

01:03:14than the archaic serial models,

01:03:16whose roots went back

01:03:17to the 30s.

01:03:18Since 1970,

01:03:20the VNII Motoprom Institute

01:03:21in Serpukov

01:03:21had been developing

01:03:22a promising motorcycle

01:03:23called the VNII 831,

01:03:25with an inline

01:03:26two-cylinder,

01:03:27650 cubic centimeter engine

01:03:30producing 60 horsepower.

01:03:32But it turned out

01:03:33that launching the production

01:03:34of such a dynamic machine

01:03:36was impossible

01:03:36due to the lack

01:03:37of high-quality components

01:03:38manufacturing,

01:03:39namely rubber,

01:03:41brake discs,

01:03:42and so on.

01:03:43In December 1976,

01:03:45the Central Committee

01:03:46of the Communist Party

01:03:47of the Soviet Union

01:03:47and the Council of Ministers

01:03:49issued a resolution

01:03:50to modernize IMZ

01:03:51aiming to boost

01:03:51annual motorcycle production

01:03:53to 200,000 units.

01:03:54In the development

01:03:56of this resolution,

01:03:57a technical assignment

01:03:57was issued,

01:03:58defining the main requirements

01:04:00for the new motorcycle model.

01:04:01A two-cylinder,

01:04:03opposed,

01:04:03four-stroke,

01:04:04750 cc engine

01:04:06with at least 45 horsepower

01:04:07and fuel consumption

01:04:09of 2.2 gallons

01:04:10per 62 miles or less.

01:04:12The most fatal point

01:04:14of the technical assignment

01:04:15was the requirement

01:04:16to maintain unification

01:04:17with existing models

01:04:18by no less than 75%.

01:04:21The first prototype models

01:04:23of the M-Semdesia-3 motorcycle

01:04:25were assembled

01:04:26by January 1978.

01:04:27They successfully passed

01:04:29the full cycle of tests

01:04:30and were recommended

01:04:31for production.

01:04:32The factory began preparing

01:04:34to master the new model,

01:04:35purchasing equipment,

01:04:36and clearing the necessary territory

01:04:38for expansion.

01:04:39However,

01:04:40the factory workers

01:04:41soon discovered

01:04:42that the new five-year plan

01:04:43did not allocate any funds

01:04:44for modernizing the enterprise.

01:04:47A heavy enduro-inspired prototype

01:04:49was under development

01:04:50in Kyiv.

01:04:51This was the Denny Pro 95802

01:04:54dynamite model.

01:04:55Apparently,

01:04:55the idea for such a motorcycle

01:04:57emerged after the success

01:04:58of the BMW R80GS model.

01:05:01The Denny Pro 95802

01:05:03turned out to be

01:05:03a very interesting design

01:05:05at that time.

01:05:05A 1.0-liter,

01:05:0770-horsepower engine,

01:05:08four-valve cylinder heads,

01:05:10a monoshock absorber

01:05:11in the rear wheel suspension,

01:05:13a front disc brake,

01:05:14and suspension travel

01:05:15of 200 millimeters.

01:05:17Dynamite could have been

01:05:18a very decent machine,

01:05:20but it got stuck

01:05:20in the testing phase

01:05:21in the mid-80s,

01:05:23and the collapse

01:05:23of the Soviet state

01:05:24was already looming

01:05:25on the horizon.

01:05:27The motorcycle prototype

01:05:28was never mass-produced,

01:05:29like many other

01:05:30intriguing designs.

01:05:32KMZ produced

01:05:33Escort motorcycles

01:05:34as one of its product lines.

01:05:36The factory began

01:05:37with specially prepared

01:05:38EM-72 models

01:05:39and ended with

01:05:39the Dnieper 14.9 model

01:05:41by the late 1980s.

01:05:44Another niche

01:05:45was motocross

01:05:45and road racing machines.

01:05:47I won't talk

01:05:48about all of them,

01:05:49but there are a couple

01:05:50of very interesting

01:05:51motorcycles with sidecars

01:05:52that definitely

01:05:53need to be mentioned.

01:05:55As you know

01:05:55from the chapter

01:05:56about BMW,

01:05:57by the end of the 60s,

01:05:58the two-cylinder,

01:05:59four-stroke boxer engine

01:06:00was no longer relevant

01:06:02in road racing.

01:06:03In the early 70s,

01:06:04this fact was also

01:06:05understood at KMZ.

01:06:07In 1977,

01:06:09factory racer

01:06:09Aleksandr Serpov

01:06:10and engineer

01:06:11Dmitry's cousin

01:06:12introduced a ground-breaking

01:06:13new racing motorcycle.

01:06:15And they equipped

01:06:16this machine

01:06:17with a two-stroke,

01:06:18four-cylinder boxer engine,

01:06:19JLM4,

01:06:20produced by the

01:06:21Ulyanovsk Motor Plant.

01:06:23Initially,

01:06:24this engine

01:06:24was used on boats

01:06:25and produced

01:06:26100 horsepower.

01:06:27The designers

01:06:28at the KMZ plant

01:06:29significantly modified it.

01:06:31The power

01:06:31was reduced

01:06:32to 80 horsepower,

01:06:33while at the same time

01:06:34leveling out

01:06:35the torque curve.

01:06:36The motorcycle

01:06:36was named

01:06:37S-Shah 500.

01:06:38It's amazing

01:06:39that in its equipped state,

01:06:41this machine

01:06:42weighed only

01:06:43155 kilograms,

01:06:44even though

01:06:45the tank

01:06:45held 28 liters

01:06:46of fuel

01:06:47and the cooling system

01:06:48contained

01:06:4910 liters of fluid.

01:06:50The maximum speed

01:06:52of this sidecar

01:06:52was 220 kilometers

01:06:54per hour.

01:06:55It is known

01:06:56that the motorcycle

01:06:56had several generations,

01:06:58but for its later versions,

01:07:00there is no technical data,

01:07:01only photographs.

01:07:02A little later,

01:07:03the Neyper S-Shah Sem model

01:07:05was created,

01:07:06in which the power

01:07:07of the same engine

01:07:08was increased

01:07:09to 95 horsepower,

01:07:10and the maximum speed

01:07:12thus rose

01:07:12to 250 kilometers per hour.

01:07:15Izivsk motorcycles

01:07:16are well known

01:07:17to us all,

01:07:18but not everyone knows

01:07:19that the factory

01:07:20made an attempt

01:07:21to master the production

01:07:22of an opposed motorcycle

01:07:23as part of the development

01:07:24of 500 cubic models.

01:07:26The decision

01:07:27was made in 1979.

01:07:29The Ministry of Defense Industry

01:07:31proposed to start

01:07:32the development

01:07:32of a four-stroke opposed engine,

01:07:34together with the company

01:07:35Java and Specialists

01:07:36from VNII Motoprom.

01:07:38Yes, Java also got involved

01:07:40in the development

01:07:40of opposed engines.

01:07:41At the same time,

01:07:43the Czechoslovak company

01:07:44had already tried its hand

01:07:45in this field

01:07:45back in 1939.

01:07:47In the 80s,

01:07:48together with Izmash,

01:07:49Java developed

01:07:50the model Piazza Type 824.

01:07:53These two motorcycles

01:07:54did not differ significantly

01:07:55from each other.

01:07:56The 500 cubic centimeter

01:07:58opposed engine

01:07:59produced about 33 to 36 horsepower

01:08:02and was paired

01:08:03with a five-speed gearbox.

01:08:04Both an electric starter

01:08:05and a kickstarter

01:08:07were present.

01:08:08The machines also

01:08:09met an unfortunate fate.

01:08:11Java produced about 10 units

01:08:13and Izh made even fewer.

01:08:15Did you know

01:08:16that the Chinese

01:08:17manufactured boxer engines?

01:08:19Chengjiang is a copy

01:08:20of the original

01:08:21Soviet model M72.

01:08:23It so happened

01:08:25that these motorcycles

01:08:26began to be produced

01:08:27in Nanchang

01:08:28in the late 50s

01:08:29with the support

01:08:29of the Soviet Union.

01:08:31Different sources

01:08:32give dates ranging

01:08:33from 57 to 61.

01:08:36In September of 66,

01:08:38production of the

01:08:38overhead valve engine

01:08:39began,

01:08:40but due to the surplus

01:08:41of side valve engines,

01:08:43they continued

01:08:43to be installed

01:08:44on motorcycles

01:08:45until 72.

01:08:47In December of 80,

01:08:48in response

01:08:49to the military police's

01:08:50purchase of motorcycles,

01:08:52an experimental batch

01:08:53of 900 cubic engines

01:08:55was produced.

01:08:55Nowadays,

01:08:57the third generation

01:08:58of Chengjiang motorcycles

01:08:59does not use

01:09:00a boxer engine,

01:09:01preferring an inline twin.

01:09:03Finally,

01:09:03in this chapter,

01:09:04I want to draw

01:09:04your attention

01:09:05to the fact

01:09:05that motorcycle boxer engines

01:09:06in the Union of Soviet

01:09:07Socialist Republics

01:09:08were used not only

01:09:09on two-wheeled vehicles.

01:09:10It is known at least

01:09:11about two models

01:09:12of helicopters

01:09:13with these engines,

01:09:14Ka-8

01:09:15and Erkutianin.

01:09:16The first come-off

01:09:17helicopter,

01:09:18the Ka-8,

01:09:19took off on

01:09:19November 12, 1947

01:09:21and was equipped

01:09:22with a Serpukov

01:09:24boxer engine,

01:09:25the M-75,

01:09:26which was modified

01:09:27for forced cooling.

01:09:28The motorcycle boxer

01:09:29engine was enough

01:09:30to accelerate

01:09:31the helicopter

01:09:32up to 80 km per hour.

01:09:34Another helicopter

01:09:35was developed

01:09:35by the Kharkiv Aviation

01:09:37Institute

01:09:37in 1970.

01:09:39The experimental aircraft

01:09:40was named

01:09:41K-HAI-27

01:09:43Kharkovchanin

01:09:44and was equipped

01:09:44with an engine

01:09:45from the M-63 motorcycle.

01:09:47The light-two-seater

01:09:48helicopter

01:09:48K-HAI-27

01:09:50was created

01:09:50at the Student Design

01:09:51Bureau of K-HAI.

01:09:53The flight weight

01:09:54was 300 kg,

01:09:55the maximum speed

01:09:56was 90 km per hour

01:09:58and the estimated

01:09:59ceiling was 2,000 m.

01:10:01It is also worth

01:10:02noting that many

01:10:03homemade and factory

01:10:04aerosleds

01:10:04and motorsleds

01:10:05in the Soviet Union

01:10:07were equipped

01:10:07with motorcycle

01:10:08boxer engines

01:10:09since this was

01:10:10the most powerful

01:10:10of the available engines.

01:10:12During World War II,

01:10:13IEMZ

01:10:14developed a tracked

01:10:15vehicle

01:10:15with an EM-72 engine

01:10:17and the N-A-M-I-E-M-E-S-1

01:10:19motorsleds

01:10:20which were built

01:10:21in 1942.

01:10:22The E-MA-7

01:10:23two-engine

01:10:24was installed

01:10:24on light aerosleds

01:10:25such as the N-K-LA-3,

01:10:274,

01:10:27RF-7,

01:10:28RF-1,

01:10:292,

01:10:30and so on.

01:10:31However,

01:10:31we'll talk about

01:10:32aerosleds

01:10:33in a separate episode

01:10:34sometime.

01:10:35In summary,

01:10:36the domestic

01:10:37motorcycle industry

01:10:38had potential

01:10:39for success

01:10:39from the end

01:10:40of the Great Patriotic War

01:10:42until the 1970s.

01:10:44The designers

01:10:45stood on the shoulders

01:10:46of giants

01:10:46like BMW

01:10:47and brought

01:10:48interesting ideas

01:10:49to life in metal.

01:10:51However,

01:10:51in the end,

01:10:52the polymers were missed,

01:10:53the country fell apart

01:10:54and among the manufacturers

01:10:55of opposed motorcycles,

01:10:56only I-M-Z survived.

01:10:58Even then,

01:10:59they make small batches

01:11:00like toys for wealthy markets

01:11:01in the United States

01:11:02of America,

01:11:03Canada,

01:11:03Australia,

01:11:04etc.

01:11:04Really?

01:11:05A toy?

01:11:06Here's a Ural

01:11:06with a bottle of vodka

01:11:07and a shovel

01:11:08in the sidecar

01:11:09and here's a limited edition

01:11:10with a solar panel

01:11:11and a drone.

01:11:12Would you also attach

01:11:13a Matryoshka doll?

01:11:14Damn,

01:11:15why did I give them that idea?

01:11:20What is the most famous motorcycle

01:11:22with an opposed engine

01:11:23from the land

01:11:24of the rising sun?

01:11:26Of course,

01:11:27Honda Goldwing.

01:11:28This legendary machine

01:11:29has been produced

01:11:30since 1974

01:11:31and to this day

01:11:33remains the company's

01:11:34flagship

01:11:34in the luxury touring segment.

01:11:36And it all began

01:11:37at the turn

01:11:38of the late 60s

01:11:39and early 70s.

01:11:40It was at that time

01:11:41that the management

01:11:42of Honda decided

01:11:43to create a fast

01:11:44and powerful

01:11:44heavyweight touring motorcycle.

01:11:47To develop

01:11:48the first Goldwing,

01:11:49a team of designers

01:11:50and engineers

01:11:51was assembled

01:11:51under the leadership

01:11:52of Saitiro Irmaziri,

01:11:54who in the 60s

01:11:55had developed

01:11:56five and six-cylinder engines

01:11:57for Honda racing motorcycles.

01:12:00Their work led

01:12:01to the creation

01:12:02of a top-secret prototype

01:12:03called M1

01:12:04in 1973.

01:12:05The concept machine

01:12:07was equipped

01:12:08with a flat six-cylinder engine

01:12:10and a shaft drive,

01:12:11features that would later

01:12:12become the hallmark

01:12:13of the Goldwing series.

01:12:15The flat six

01:12:17was chosen for a reason.

01:12:18It is the most balanced

01:12:20compared to a flat twin

01:12:21or a flat four.

01:12:22The 1.5-liter engine prototype

01:12:25had issues

01:12:26due to its lengthy design,

01:12:28making it impossible

01:12:29to provide a comfortable

01:12:30seating position

01:12:31for the rider.

01:12:32A tourer

01:12:33must prioritize comfort

01:12:35on long rides

01:12:36to significantly reduce

01:12:37the production model's length,

01:12:39they removed

01:12:39two cylinders

01:12:40from the engine.

01:12:42The first production Golda

01:12:44of 1974

01:12:45was equipped

01:12:46with a one-liter

01:12:47four-cylinder boxer engine.

01:12:48Over time,

01:12:49the engine displacement grew,

01:12:50along with the popularity

01:12:51of the machine.

01:12:52The 1,100 model appeared

01:12:54and a little later,

01:12:57the 1,200.

01:12:59And this continued

01:13:00until 1987

01:13:01when Honda finally used

01:13:03a six-cylinder boxer engine

01:13:04on a production motorcycle.

01:13:06The process of creating

01:13:08the GL-1500 model

01:13:10was the most complex

01:13:11and comprehensive

01:13:12in the company's history

01:13:13at that time.

01:13:14But it was worth it.

01:13:16Goldwing is still

01:13:16the benchmark of quality

01:13:18and comfort

01:13:18in the luxury touring niche

01:13:19and has a huge following

01:13:21all over the world.

01:13:22And since 1987,

01:13:23an integral part of this machine

01:13:25has been the six-cylinder

01:13:27boxer engine.

01:13:28If you think

01:13:29that Japanese motorcycles

01:13:31with such an engine

01:13:32ended there,

01:13:33you're mistaken.

01:13:34Would it ever occur to you

01:13:35to equip a motor scooter

01:13:37with a boxer engine?

01:13:38It did occur to Saichiro Honda.

01:13:41The Honda Juno

01:13:42is a line of small

01:13:43displacement vehicles

01:13:44that began production

01:13:45in 1954.

01:13:47However,

01:13:48the 1954 K50 model

01:13:50was problematic,

01:13:51heavy and underpowered.

01:13:52In the early 60s,

01:13:54work began on a new version

01:13:55of the motor scooter

01:13:56and in November 1961,

01:13:58the Juno M80 model

01:13:59was introduced,

01:14:00which went into production

01:14:01a year later.

01:14:03The M80 received

01:14:04a 125cc four-stroke

01:14:07overhead valve

01:14:08opposed engine

01:14:09with air cooling.

01:14:10And yes,

01:14:11this is the smallest

01:14:11opposed engine

01:14:12ever put on a motorcycle.

01:14:14Juno was a project

01:14:16where the engineers

01:14:16were given

01:14:17complete freedom of action,

01:14:19so they got as creative

01:14:20as they could.

01:14:20In the middle of 62,

01:14:23the M85 model appeared,

01:14:25whose engine displacement

01:14:26was increased to 170, sir.

01:14:29The specifications

01:14:30were as follows,

01:14:3211 horsepower at 125

01:14:34and 12 at 170.

01:14:36Obviously,

01:14:37the M80 and M85

01:14:38equipped with electric starters

01:14:40comfortable and stable

01:14:42on the road

01:14:42were interesting to the public.

01:14:44The problem was the price.

01:14:46The M80 cost 159,000 yen

01:14:49and the M85

01:14:50was 10,000 more expensive.

01:14:53Technically very advanced

01:14:54and original,

01:14:55these scooters

01:14:56had no chance

01:14:57against the products

01:14:58from large industrial groups

01:15:00such as Fuji or Mitsubishi,

01:15:02whose price tag

01:15:03was 130,000 yen.

01:15:05Another Japanese company

01:15:06that succeeded

01:15:07in building

01:15:07opposed motorcycles

01:15:08was the Maruso Lilac Company.

01:15:12In the 1950s,

01:15:13Maruso Lilac,

01:15:14which was located

01:15:15next to Honda

01:15:16in the city of Hamamatsu,

01:15:17released two models

01:15:18of opposed motorcycles

01:15:19with an engine displacement

01:15:21of 350 ccc,

01:15:23the Lilac KW Dragon

01:15:24and the Lilac SW Lancer.

01:15:27The opposed engines

01:15:28were side valve

01:15:29and produced 12 horsepower

01:15:31in both versions.

01:15:32The machine weighed

01:15:33around 160 kilograms

01:15:34and could accelerate

01:15:35up to 110 kilometers per hour.

01:15:38At the end of the 50s,

01:15:40the company faced

01:15:41a severe crisis.

01:15:42In 1963,

01:15:44it was reorganized

01:15:45and returned to operation

01:15:46in 1964.

01:15:48Now it was a much

01:15:49smaller production

01:15:49than before.

01:15:51At the Tokyo Motor Show

01:15:52in 64,

01:15:53the company presented

01:15:54two prototypes

01:15:55of miniature boxer engines,

01:15:56Lilac C-103

01:15:58and C-105

01:15:59with 125

01:16:00and 160 cubic centimeter engines.

01:16:03But these models

01:16:04did not go into production.

01:16:05At that time,

01:16:06the focus was on creating

01:16:07a large displacement boxer twin

01:16:09for the United States market.

01:16:10In 64,

01:16:12production began

01:16:12on the Maruso ST

01:16:14with a 500 cubic centimeter,

01:16:1636 horsepower,

01:16:17overhead valve

01:16:18boxer engine.

01:16:19In two years,

01:16:20about 600 units were built,

01:16:22most of which

01:16:23were shipped overseas.

01:16:24In the United States of America,

01:16:25this model was initially

01:16:26named Imperial

01:16:27and a little later,

01:16:28ST.

01:16:29At first glance,

01:16:31the engine looks like

01:16:31a copy of BMW,

01:16:33but in reality,

01:16:34only some internal parts

01:16:35resembled those of BMW.

01:16:38Lilac tried not to violate

01:16:40BMW's patents,

01:16:41used a completely different

01:16:42ignition and electrical system

01:16:44and also implemented

01:16:45its own transmission and clutch.

01:16:47In 66,

01:16:48the Maruso Magnum model

01:16:50debuted,

01:16:50which was in many ways

01:16:52a reworked ST

01:16:53with its power increased

01:16:54to 40 horsepower.

01:16:56In 66,

01:16:57only 180 Magnums

01:16:58were produced.

01:17:00Lilac's final motorcycle

01:17:02was the Magnum Electro.

01:17:04In addition to the kickstarter,

01:17:06they used an electric starter in it.

01:17:09BMW will present its motorcycle

01:17:11with an electric starter

01:17:12only three years later.

01:17:14Unfortunately,

01:17:15suffering losses.

01:17:16The company Maruso

01:17:17soon went bankrupt.

01:17:20In this chapter,

01:17:21I will tell you about

01:17:22some small batch

01:17:22and even completely homemade

01:17:24motorcycles with an opposed engine.

01:17:26And first on my list

01:17:27is the racing Koenig 500 Grand Prix,

01:17:30which was ridden by Kim Newkomp.

01:17:32The Koenig engine

01:17:33was a two-stroke,

01:17:34four-cylinder opposed unit

01:17:36with a displacement of 494 cubic centimeters,

01:17:40boasting impressive power

01:17:41and a strong reputation

01:17:43in hydroplane racing.

01:17:44Yes,

01:17:45its layout is quite similar

01:17:46to the GLM4 motorcycle's

01:17:48Dnepr Escha 500.

01:17:50The Koenig 500 Grand Prix motorcycle

01:17:52appeared in 1969,

01:17:54but it was refined

01:17:55for a couple more years.

01:17:57As a result,

01:17:58the maximum power of its engine

01:18:00was 75 horsepower.

01:18:02On this motorcycle,

01:18:03Newcombe achieved

01:18:04significant success

01:18:05in the racing seasons

01:18:06of 71 and 72.

01:18:08However,

01:18:09he tragically died

01:18:10on his motorcycle

01:18:11during a race

01:18:12at the Silverstone track

01:18:13in 73.

01:18:15Production of these motorcycles

01:18:17ceased in the mid-70s

01:18:19after about 100 units

01:18:20had been built,

01:18:21including some with sidecars.

01:18:23And here is an interesting

01:18:24homemade creation from France

01:18:26from the early 70s.

01:18:27One inventive motorcyclist

01:18:29named Jean-Paul Boucher

01:18:30decided to put into production

01:18:31a superbike

01:18:32with a flat twin engine

01:18:33from a Panhard PL-17 car.

01:18:36Jean-Paul built the first

01:18:38Moto Tigre Panhard machine

01:18:40in 1969.

01:18:43Jean-Paul Boucher's

01:18:44first creation

01:18:45turned out to be

01:18:46quite bulky and heavy,

01:18:47so the model

01:18:48was further refined.

01:18:49They started using the engine

01:18:51as a stressed member

01:18:52of the frame

01:18:52and the construction

01:18:53was made lighter.

01:18:55The motorcycle,

01:18:55originally built for racing,

01:18:57was powered by a 72

01:18:58HP Panhard 24 engine.

01:19:02The motorcycle with a dry weight

01:19:03of 145 kilograms

01:19:05could accelerate

01:19:06to a top speed

01:19:06of 210 kilometers per hour.

01:19:08By 1975,

01:19:10the concept was revised

01:19:11towards tourism.

01:19:13The motorcycle received

01:19:14dual headlights,

01:19:15an electric starter,

01:19:16a double seat,

01:19:17and so on.

01:19:18The model was equipped

01:19:19with a 50 horsepower engine.

01:19:21In total,

01:19:22fewer than 10 of these machines

01:19:23were assembled,

01:19:24some of which have been

01:19:25preserved in museums.

01:19:27Since we're talking

01:19:28about France,

01:19:29here are a couple more

01:19:30opposed motorcycles

01:19:31that were developed there

01:19:32in the second half

01:19:33of the 70s.

01:19:35In this case,

01:19:36the approach was more serious.

01:19:38It all started

01:19:38with a competition

01:19:39held by the Ministry

01:19:40of Industry

01:19:41for the development

01:19:42of a motorcycle

01:19:42in 1978.

01:19:44The competition

01:19:45was won by a company

01:19:46made up of three guys

01:19:48named Luis Bocardo,

01:19:49Dominic Favario,

01:19:50and Thierry Grange.

01:19:51They came up with the idea

01:19:53to put a car engine

01:19:54into a motorcycle frame.

01:19:56They chose a Citroen

01:19:57flat 4 engine

01:19:58with a displacement

01:19:59of 1,300 cc.

01:20:01The machinery

01:20:02was produced

01:20:03at the BFG plant,

01:20:04but part of the responsibility

01:20:05for this engine

01:20:06was carried

01:20:07by the Moto Becken Company.

01:20:08It's not exactly known

01:20:10when the production

01:20:11of this motorcycle

01:20:12started and ended,

01:20:13but it was still appearing

01:20:14in some motorcycle catalogs

01:20:16as late as 1985.

01:20:18A total of about

01:20:19450 units were produced,

01:20:22and around 100 of them

01:20:23were purchased

01:20:24by the police service.

01:20:25There was also

01:20:26a motorcycle called MF

01:20:28with a 650 cc

01:20:29opposed twin engine.

01:20:31MF stands for

01:20:32Moto Franchise.

01:20:34Thanks to the enthusiasm

01:20:36of a Brit named

01:20:37Gordon Griffiths,

01:20:38an interesting

01:20:38opposed custom appeared.

01:20:40According to the information,

01:20:41Gordon was constantly

01:20:42building various customs.

01:20:44Around 1969,

01:20:46he got his hands

01:20:47on an old Sunbeam S8

01:20:48from 1952.

01:20:51Griffiths experimented

01:20:52with this motorcycle,

01:20:54installing a Harley engine,

01:20:55and later a Zuck

01:20:56opposed engine.

01:20:57While reliable and torquey,

01:20:59the Zuck lacks

01:21:00special charm,

01:21:02even in Africa.

01:21:03So, Gordon eventually

01:21:05settled on a 4-cylinder

01:21:06opposed engine

01:21:07from a Porsche 356,

01:21:09preferring its aesthetics

01:21:10and performance.

01:21:12This is how the unique

01:21:13Sandbin Porsche Special

01:21:141300 motorcycle

01:21:15was created.

01:21:18A separate and very

01:21:20colorful branch

01:21:21of custom building

01:21:22is the so-called

01:21:23Volksmotor.

01:21:24Literally,

01:21:25it means

01:21:25people's motorcycle.

01:21:27But more accurately,

01:21:28it's a motorcycle

01:21:29with an engine

01:21:30from a Volkswagen.

01:21:31In most cases,

01:21:32it's an air-cooled

01:21:33opposed four-cylinder

01:21:34engine from the Beetle.

01:21:37These custom bikes

01:21:38look quite unique.

01:21:39However,

01:21:40among them,

01:21:40there is one

01:21:41that was produced

01:21:42in series.

01:21:43This is the

01:21:43Amazonas Rhino

01:21:44from Brazil.

01:21:46Two handy guys,

01:21:47Luis Gomi and

01:21:48Jose Bestona

01:21:49from São Paulo,

01:21:50wanted to ride

01:21:51cool and big

01:21:51motorcycles.

01:21:52But in the 60s,

01:21:54it was practically

01:21:55impossible to buy

01:21:56anything solid in Brazil.

01:21:58Ordinary people

01:21:59had no money

01:22:00and everything imported

01:22:01was taxed insanely.

01:22:03So the guys

01:22:03cobbled together

01:22:04motorcycles from

01:22:05whatever they had.

01:22:06And as an engine,

01:22:07they used a

01:22:08Volkswagen engine.

01:22:09And that's because

01:22:10it had already

01:22:11been produced in Brazil

01:22:12under license

01:22:13for more than 10 years.

01:22:15It was the most

01:22:15common engine

01:22:16in the country.

01:22:17From 78 to 78,

01:22:19about 450 units

01:22:21of the Amazon motorcycle

01:22:22with a 1,600 engine

01:22:24were built.

01:22:25And only a very small

01:22:26number of the

01:22:271,300cc version.

01:22:30A large portion

01:22:31of the motorcycles

01:22:32was provided

01:22:32to the police.

01:22:34History also records

01:22:35custom units

01:22:36featuring DAB engines.

01:22:37Or here's a 4.0

01:22:39Alfa Romeo Boxer

01:22:40engine squeezed

01:22:41into the frame

01:22:41of a Falcone motorcycle.

01:22:44Just when you thought

01:22:45you knew all about

01:22:46boxer engines,

01:22:47the midual type 1

01:22:48appears.

01:22:50The engine layout

01:22:52in this model

01:22:52was radically reimagined.

01:22:54Frenchman Olivier

01:22:55Midy,

01:22:55the creator of this

01:22:56marvel,

01:22:57offers an engine

01:22:58arrangement like

01:22:58the one used

01:22:59a hundred years ago

01:23:00on the Douglas,

01:23:01but with a completely

01:23:02original twist.

01:23:03With the use

01:23:04of liquid cooling,

01:23:05the problem of

01:23:06overheating of the

01:23:07rear cylinder

01:23:08is eliminated.

01:23:09The engineer tilted

01:23:10the engine at a

01:23:1125 degree angle,

01:23:12placing the gearbox

01:23:13under the rear cylinder.

01:23:15Olivier managed

01:23:16to create a motorcycle,

01:23:17not only with

01:23:18a low center of gravity,

01:23:19but also with

01:23:20a reasonable length

01:23:21and a narrow silhouette.

01:23:23It took Midy

01:23:24nearly 20 years

01:23:25to fulfill his dream.

01:23:26His passion

01:23:27for motorcycles

01:23:28began at the age of 14.

01:23:30After getting

01:23:31his engineering degree,

01:23:32Midy began working

01:23:33as a designer

01:23:34at an automotive

01:23:35parts company.

01:23:36In 1992,

01:23:38he decided to start

01:23:39designing his own

01:23:40motorcycle.

01:23:41Initially,

01:23:41he worked on it

01:23:42during his free time

01:23:43in the evenings.

01:23:44Already in 1994,

01:23:46he received his first

01:23:47patent for the engine layout.

01:23:49After discovering

01:23:50no one would finance

01:23:51the project,

01:23:52he founded his own

01:23:53automotive parts company,

01:23:54which began supplying

01:23:55Citroën, Peugeot

01:23:57and Renault assembly lines.

01:24:00By that time,

01:24:02he had enlisted

01:24:02the support

01:24:03of his older brother,

01:24:04Francois.

01:24:05In 1999,

01:24:06at the Paris Motor Show,

01:24:08the first two

01:24:09Midyall 875 motorcycles

01:24:11were presented,

01:24:12although they had

01:24:13wooden mock-ups

01:24:14of the engines.

01:24:15The well-received project

01:24:17prompted the brothers

01:24:18to seek resources

01:24:19for its metal construction.

01:24:21Unfortunately,

01:24:22they were not able

01:24:22to find them elsewhere.

01:24:24And in 2001,

01:24:25they decided to focus

01:24:26exclusively on

01:24:27manufacturing auto components

01:24:29for five years

01:24:30in order to earn money

01:24:31for their ideas.

01:24:32Fortunately,

01:24:33the French automotive industry

01:24:34was thriving

01:24:35in those years

01:24:36and in 2006,

01:24:37they were able

01:24:38to resume

01:24:38their motorcycle project.

01:24:40But by that time,

01:24:41the 875 cc version

01:24:44of the engine

01:24:44seemed unsuccessful to them

01:24:46and Olivier designed

01:24:47a new 1036 cc version

01:24:50of the engine.

01:24:51Another eight years

01:24:52passed before

01:24:52Midy's dream

01:24:53was crowned with success

01:24:54and his one-liter

01:24:55opposed marvel

01:24:56debuted before the public.

01:24:58This happened

01:24:58in the year 2014.

01:25:00The motorcycle

01:25:01was conceived

01:25:02as a work of art.

01:25:03There is practically

01:25:04no plastic

01:25:05in its construction

01:25:06and it cost about

01:25:07140,000 euros.

01:25:09It's clear

01:25:10that such equipment

01:25:11would be produced

01:25:12and sold

01:25:12in limited quantities,

01:25:14but the concept itself

01:25:15is worthy of attention.

01:25:17It's worth giving credit

01:25:18and mentioning

01:25:19the talented local enthusiasts.

01:25:21The first

01:25:21is Victor

01:25:22from Krasnodar region

01:25:23who builds motorcycles

01:25:25from scratch.

01:25:26His creations

01:25:27include the Tesorok,

01:25:28the Megalodon

01:25:29and an opposed

01:25:30cylinder motorcycle.

01:25:31The second

01:25:32are the guys

01:25:33from the Uralgon channel

01:25:34who are currently

01:25:35working on creating

01:25:36an opposed

01:25:391150 cc engine

01:25:40from scratch.

01:25:41At the end

01:25:42of this whole big story

01:25:43it's worth figuring

01:25:44out the advantages

01:25:45and disadvantages

01:25:46of the opposed engine,

01:25:48both in the context

01:25:49of the engine itself

01:25:50and when it's used

01:25:51in motorcycles.

01:25:52And talk a bit

01:25:53about the balance

01:25:54of this type of engine.

01:25:55If we take

01:25:56the opposed engine

01:25:57as a kind of

01:25:58spherical horse

01:25:58in a vacuum,

01:25:59it's an ideal motor.

01:26:00It has a low

01:26:01center of gravity,

01:26:02good torque

01:26:03characteristics

01:26:04and is one

01:26:05of the most

01:26:05balanced engines.

01:26:06The only real

01:26:07competitor

01:26:07to the opposed engine

01:26:08in terms of balance

01:26:09is probably

01:26:10the inline 6.

01:26:11Due to the mirror

01:26:12like movement

01:26:12of the masses,

01:26:13vibrations are

01:26:14practically non-existent.

01:26:16But there are

01:26:16a few ifs.

01:26:17First of all,

01:26:18since in a boxer

01:26:19engine each

01:26:20connecting rod

01:26:21has its own

01:26:22crank pin,

01:26:23there is some

01:26:23offset between

01:26:24the cylinders

01:26:25and pistons

01:26:25relative to each

01:26:26other.

01:26:27In reality,

01:26:28there isn't a

01:26:28perfect mirror

01:26:29movement of the

01:26:30masses.

01:26:30Although it is

01:26:31quite possible

01:26:32to achieve this.

01:26:33Here the animation

01:26:34clearly demonstrates

01:26:35a way to solve

01:26:36this issue.

01:26:36But if you start

01:26:37digging into

01:26:38real life boxer

01:26:39engines,

01:26:40you are unlikely

01:26:40to find such a

01:26:41solution in practice.

01:26:43It all comes down

01:26:44to manufacturing

01:26:45complexity,

01:26:46or rather,

01:26:46to the cost

01:26:47of production.

01:26:48And in fact,

01:26:49it's easier to put up

01:26:50with minor vibrations

01:26:51that don't harm

01:26:52the design

01:26:52and are practically

01:26:53unnoticeable to the

01:26:54rider than to make

01:26:55an expensive component

01:26:57even more costly

01:26:58to produce.

01:26:59Secondly,

01:26:59an engine of this

01:27:00configuration is

01:27:01somewhat larger than

01:27:02inline and V-shaped

01:27:03engines.

01:27:04Thirdly,

01:27:04the most crucial

01:27:05drawback of the

01:27:06boxer engine.

01:27:07The entire

01:27:07motorcycle and

01:27:08automotive industry,

01:27:09and in fact all

01:27:09other industries,

01:27:10are primarily about

01:27:11money.

01:27:12The laws of economics

01:27:13and competition

01:27:13have not been

01:27:14cancelled by anyone.

01:27:15An opposed engine

01:27:16in production

01:27:17costs 1.5 times

01:27:18more than a

01:27:19comparable inline

01:27:20engine,

01:27:21resulting in more

01:27:22expensive equipment

01:27:23with this engine.

01:27:24As for the use

01:27:26of such engines

01:27:27on motorcycles,

01:27:28the obvious

01:27:28advantages of

01:27:29this design

01:27:30are a low

01:27:31center of gravity,

01:27:32low vibration

01:27:33levels,

01:27:34and good torque

01:27:34characteristics.

01:27:36This is particularly

01:27:37relevant for touring

01:27:38motorcycles and cruisers.

01:27:39However,

01:27:40there are also

01:27:40drawbacks.

01:27:41Have you noticed

01:27:42that if you twist

01:27:43the throttle on a

01:27:43BMW,

01:27:44the motorcycle

01:27:45tilts to the side?

01:27:46A similar effect

01:27:47can be observed

01:27:48on V-Twins

01:27:48with a longitudinal

01:27:49engine layout.

01:27:50Moto Guzi

01:27:51is an example.

01:27:52You can partially

01:27:53counteract this

01:27:54reactive torque

01:27:54by, for example,

01:27:56connecting the

01:27:56generator or gearbox

01:27:58in such a way

01:27:58that their moving

01:27:59masses rotate

01:28:00in the opposite

01:28:01direction.

01:28:02Secondly,

01:28:02no matter what

01:28:03anyone says,

01:28:04a boxer engine

01:28:04on a motorcycle

01:28:05with cylinders

01:28:06positioned across

01:28:07the frame

01:28:08is much more

01:28:08susceptible to

01:28:09serious damage

01:28:10if the motorcycle

01:28:11falls on its side.

01:28:12This problem

01:28:13can be partially

01:28:14solved with crash

01:28:15bars and

01:28:15other protective

01:28:16elements,

01:28:17but the fact

01:28:17remains.

01:28:18And finally,

01:28:19as I mentioned

01:28:20a couple of

01:28:20paragraphs ago,

01:28:21the main disadvantage

01:28:22of this engine

01:28:23is its high

01:28:24production cost.

01:28:25BMW,

01:28:26Honda and

01:28:26Ural currently

01:28:27produce motorcycles

01:28:28with boxer engines

01:28:28in series production.

01:28:31small displacement boxer engines

01:28:33turned out to be

01:28:34unprofitable

01:28:34and unable to compete

01:28:36with other types

01:28:36of technology.

01:28:38Motorcycles with

01:28:39larger boxer engines

01:28:40can more or less

01:28:41fit into the price range

01:28:42of their niche.

01:28:43That's how things are,

01:28:45friends.

01:28:48With that,

01:28:49my couple of words

01:28:50about boxer engines

01:28:52and their use

01:28:52in motorcycles

01:28:53come to an end.

01:28:54I probably couldn't

01:28:55tell you about

01:28:56all the interesting

01:28:57boxer models

01:28:58in this episode

01:28:59and it's possible

01:29:00that I made

01:29:01a mistake somewhere.

01:29:02However,

01:29:03if you're really curious,

01:29:04you'll be able to find

01:29:05what I didn't mention

01:29:06in this episode.

01:29:08I tried in these

01:29:09hour and a half

01:29:09to explain this topic

01:29:11in an interesting,

01:29:12clear and humorous way.

01:29:13I hope I succeeded.

01:29:15At the time of

01:29:16releasing this episode,

01:29:17this is my most

01:29:18ambitious work.

01:29:19I hope it will

01:29:20resonate with you

01:29:21and gather a decent

01:29:22number of views.

01:29:24Well,

01:29:24you can help

01:29:25with all kinds of support.

01:29:27A like,

01:29:28a comment,

01:29:28a repost.

01:29:29You can also support

01:29:31financially if you wish.

01:29:33Thank you very much.

01:29:34This was the Krasmodo channel.

01:29:35See you next time.

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